Eateries to serve 2nd week

Local restaurateurs hope to get a second helping of hefty Newport Beach Restaurant Week profits by serving two of the citywide culinary events a year.

Plans are already in the works for an additional Newport Beach Restaurant Week in fall 2009, along with the third annual event in January 2009.

Newport Beach City Council earlier this week approved $135,000 to sponsor Newport Beach Restaurant Week in January 2009 and fund a second citywide restaurant week event in the fall — organizers have yet to set an exact date for the event.

The money, $35,000 of which will be in the form of matching funds, will go to help the Newport Beach Restaurant Assn. promote both events.

Newport Beach Restaurant Week, held in January for the past two years, gives local restaurants a much-needed boost during what typically would be a slow time of year, said Newport Beach Restaurant Assn. President Sheri Drewry, whose family owns Wilma’s Patio restaurant on Balboa Island.

The event has served as a model for other cities to follow. Restaurant weeks in other cities, including Los Angeles, haven’t enjoyed the gangbusters success of Newport’s event, Drewry said.

“We are a dining destination — restaurants are one of Newport’s biggest industries,” Drewry said. “Dining brings in tax dollars to the city, and maybe a person who eats out will also visit the shop next door — it all goes back to helping the city.”

More than 190,000 patrons dined at participating restaurants during the second annual event in January, according to the restaurant association.

The five-day event, which offers three-course meals at a fixed price at restaurants across the city, generated more than $5.3 million in revenue for local eateries, according to the association’s calculations.

The event also helps rake in tax dollars for the city, said Peggy Fort, director of Newport Beach Restaurant Week.

The last Restaurant Week generated $53,200 in sales taxes for the city, Fort said.

Organizers want to expand the event next year by adding more participating restaurants to its roster and finding more businesses sponsorships for the event, Fort said.

The January 2008 event included about 70 local restaurants, and organizers hope to expand that to about 100 next year, Fort said.

“We want to make it bigger and better for the community, because its success builds the quality of life in Newport and not just for restaurants — a great campaign can generate more revenue for the city as well,” Fort said.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected].