SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. — From September 19-25, Safety Harbor is hosting its first-ever restaurant week and local restaurants are cooking up something special.
“We’ve got lobster rolls, crab buckets, fresh shucked oysters, island nachos overflowing with Mahi meat and grouper,” Bar Fly employee Mark Fuller said.
Almost 25 restaurants are offering special menus. Many have three-course meal options varying in price from $15 to $45.
The inaugural Safety Harbor Restaurant Week coincides with what’s typically the slowest month of the year for local restaurants.
“Once the calendar switches over to October, people start coming out," Whistle Stop Grill & Bar owner Louis Kinney said. "We are getting ready for that. We’re all excited about it. It’s been a long and tough summer."
The restaurants aren’t the only ones benefiting: a portion of the proceeds from this week’s sales will go towards the Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center Food Bank. The organization has seen a 25% spike in households needing help.
“We’re trying to make ends meet but we are having a hard time,” Executive Director Danielle Husband explained. “So we are very grateful to Safety Harbor and restaurant week with our food bill going up $500 a week now."
Between 130 and 150 families are now coming to Mattie Williams in Safety Harbor to pick up groceries every week. The organization is seeing a record need and is dealing with inflation itself.
“It’s been difficult. We were getting dairy and eggs donated to us from another local food bank, but their resources have changed," Husband added. "So for the past month, we’ve been able to buy those items. From a financial standpoint, that wasn’t in the budget."
You can help feed families while you feed your own and give restaurants a boost when it’s needed most.
“We call it locals being local. Everyone is working together,” Kenny said.
You don’t need tickets for restaurant week, but reservations are recommended.
- Here’s the lineup of restaurants:
- Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza
- Bar Fly
- Bassano Cheesecake Café
- The Brinehouse
- Coastal Cantina
- Daydreamer’s Café & Grill
- Famous Greek
- Gigglewaters
- Ice Barr
- The Kitchen
- Marker 39
- The NONA Slice House
- Paradise Restaurant
- The Pub at Safety Harbor
- Southern Fresh
- The Tides Seafood Market & Provisions
- Tiki Tavern
- Whistle Stop Grill
You can check out many of the Restaurant Week menus on the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page.
