Guyana Restaurant Week begins Friday under the theme “Explore, Eat and Repeat.”Patrons who participate can win daily lunch or dinner prizes at participating restaurants when they take a photograph of their meals at various dinners and post them on the social media pages with the official hashtag #OFFICIALGRW.
The grand prize will be won at the end of the week, May 8, with a lucky patron receiving a flight for one to a Fly Jamaica destination.
This was disclosed by tourism officials at a press conference Wednesday at the Herdmanston Lodge Hotel, Peter Rose Street, Queenstown, Georgetown.
For the event, over 20 restaurants are set to participate, including: Aagman’s, Buddy’s Mei Tung, Cara Lodge, Coffee Bean Café, Duke Lodge, Grand Coastal Hotel, Gravity Lounge, Herdmanston Lodge, Java Coffee Bar, the Marriott Hotel, New Thriving, Oasis Café, OMG, Palm Court, Pegasus Hotel, Silhouette Restaurant, Starbuds Restaurant, The Publik, Wind Jammer, and Xie Xie.
Restaurant Week is a collaborative effort among the Ministry of Public Telecommunications with responsibility for Tourism, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG).
Indranauth Haralsingh, head of the GTA, said as Guyana prepares to celebrate its 50th independence anniversary, there will be an influx of visitors and restaurant week will capture that market which is part of the many events.
“Currently, arrivals are up 7.3% from January to March and we expect this to continue to grow,” he noted
President of THAG, Shaun McGrath, said the event is one of two that will be held this year, since it has been a proven success since its inception.
“We deliberately picked this time because there are holidays and even Mothers’ Day will be observed during the event. People will have the opportunity to take their families out for lunch or dinner,” he said.
He said the multi-course dining experience starts at $2000 for lunch, and $4000 or $5000 for dinner, including VAT and service charges where applicable; beverages are not included.
McGrath noted that the prices are 30% cheaper than usual, so patrons can take advantage of these options. He said many restaurants are upping their game with the menus being offered. A lot more creativity and local ingredients are being used in many ways to exploit the taste buds of patrons. “We need to move on from the days of when you walk in it’s about chicken and rice, and that was it.”
Adding that restaurant week has challenged a lot of businesses to take it to the next level, McGrath said foods are now cooked and presented in many different ways that make them more interesting to eat.
He said Ansa Mcal is now on board with a range of wines that are being offered at a special promotional price. This can be bought for $4,000 or served in a glass for $1,000, which includes VAT.
“There will be as much as 35% to 50% discount at many places; El Dorado and Demerara Distillers are on board and they are offering their products on a complimentary basis in some restaurants,” he noted.