Foodies rejoice—it’s that delicious and affordable time of year again.
Starting on April 23 and running to May 1, Long Beach’s restaurant week, Dine LBC, will shine a light on the city’s diverse gastronomy. Diners from all parts of the city can choose from more than 70 local eateries, each promising to satisfy a distinct palate.
“The objective is to mobilize the city of Long Beach,” Dine LBC founder Terri Henry told the Post. “To get those folks from Bixby Knolls to come down to downtown, and those from Belmont Shore to go to Bixby Knolls, to explore different neighborhoods and try different restaurants.”
Highlighting the city’s fine dining, mom and pop shops, as well as casual joints, has been the theme of Dine LBC since launching a couple years back, under Henry’s vision of granting Long Beach its very own restaurant week. This year, Dine LBC has been extended to cover nine days and two weekends.
“It gets bigger every year; we have a lot of new restaurants this year,” she said, noting that more than 20 new restaurants have joined Dine LBC this year, including a couple Long Beach institutions.
Sir Winston’s on the Queen Mary, King’s Fish House and Polly’s Pies, to name a few, are among the group of new participants, said Henry.
Participating restaurants will offer special menus priced at $20, $30, $40 or $50 either per-guest or for-two. The per-guest menus will feature wine pairings at fine dining establishments, while the for-two menus allow diners to share an appetizer and dessert, while each enjoying their own entree.
“They [customers] get a chance to try a restaurant that is maybe out of their price range, this gives them that value-menu to come in and try that restaurant,” said Henry. “It’s an opportunity to try something new and also revisit an old favorite that they may have not thought about for a while.”
The value-oriented-menus are created by each participating restaurant to appeal to customers who enjoy casual dining, fine dining and everything in between. The end goal, however, is to increase foot traffic and promote local eateries all year-round.
“We’ve had restaurants report anywhere from a 10 percent increase in sales that week to almost 30 percent,” said Henry.
For additional information regarding prices, menus and locations diners can visit DineLBC.com.
Restaurant registration is still open for restaurants wishing to participate. Restaurants can email [email protected].