Albany’s Restaurant Week Heralds In Quadricentennial, September 22 - 27

ALBANY, NY (09/04/2008)(readMedia)-- The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) today announced its Fall 2008 Restaurant Week will be held from Monday, September 22 through Saturday, September 27. Downtown Albany's Restaurant Week is the region's original downtown dining event featuring fixed-price, three-course meals at a variety of the City's most popular restaurants for $20.09. The price is designed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's historic voyage and landing in the region in 1609. The week-long event is timed to follow the perennial ‘return' of the Half Moon to the Corning Riverfront Park on September 19 and the release of a special 2009 commemorative calendar created by the BID.

"The Quadricentennial offers a tremendous opportunity to shine a light on Albany and the myriad events, festivals and activities the City will host next year. The BID worked in collaboration with participating restaurants to develop the $20.09 price specifically to draw attention to this important anniversary," said Pamela Tobin, the BID's executive director.

Albany's Restaurant Week and its original $16.09 price were created to reinforce the Downtown Albany; Worth Discovering Since 1609 brand developed by the BID in mid-2004. Extensive surveys conducted since then indicate that the program was instrumental in achieving that goal, but the price was never intended to be permanent. The move to $20.09 represents the promotion's first price change since its launch.

"While other cities held Restaurant Week-type promotions prior to 2004, we were among the first in the country to use the price of the promotion itself to communicate a branding message," Tobin said. "The price was meant to be flexible and we always intended to move it to $20.09 as the Quadricentennial approached. In fact, the Worth Discovering Since 1609 campaign itself was created to take advantage of the attention the 400^th anniversary in 2009 would attract."

At press time the BID anticipates more than 20 of the City's independently-owned restaurants to again participate in the promotion, including Albany Pump Station, Café Capriccio, Envy, Franklin's Tower, Jack's Oyster House, Jillian's of Albany, Kelsey's Irish Pub, La Serre, Mansion Hill Inn, Marché at 74 State, Nicole's Bistro, Pearl Restaurant and Lounge, Pearl Street Public House, Savannah's, Webster's Corner, V&R, Victory Cafe and more. A complete list of participating restaurants and sample Restaurant Week menus will be available at www.downtownalbany.org.

In addition to the dining promotion, Restaurant Week patrons can enter to win hundreds of dollars in downtown dining gift certificates by filling out a brief survey about their dining experience. Winners will be chosen at random from all completed surveys. Participating restaurants have each donated $50 certificates toward the drawing. Prizes include:

• § 1st Prize: $600 (12 dinner certificates)
• § 2nd Prize: $300 (6 dinner certificates)
• § 3rd Prize: $100 (2 dinner certificates)

Restaurants collect the completed surveys and keep daily track of the number of dinners served. Based on survey results, the April 21-26, 2008 Restaurant Week generated:

• § 12,100(+) diner visits
• § 3,300(+) completed patron surveys
• § $294,000+ economic impact in downtown Albany dining establishments
  (Based on an estimated April 2008 average of $24.26 per diner, per meal).

Since its inception in 2004, Restaurant Weeks have had a combined economic impact of more than $2.1 million.

During Restaurant Week, reservations are strongly suggested and can be made by calling individual restaurants outside the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Full details, including sample fixed-price menus, hours of operation, restaurant contact information and other details are available at www.downtownalbany.org.

Restaurant Week is sponsored in part with support from Metroland Magazine, Times Union and WNYT NewsChannel 13.

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The Downtown Albany BID, incorporated in 1996, is a private, not-for profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to restore, promote and maintain the character and viability of downtown Albany and to improve the quality of life and overall image of downtown for all those who work in, live in and visit the Capital City. There is ample public parking in downtown Albany: metered parking is free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all weekends. For information about the Downtown Albany BID, call (518) 465-2143 or visit www.downtownalbany.org.