In Millburn-Short Hills, NJ, Restaurant Week has turned into a springtime traffic driver.
The event debuted in March 2023, then returned in March 2024. Restaurant Week is organized by Explore Millburn-Short Hills, a special improvement district, and involves some 40 restaurants and boutiques offering 60 specials.
Steve Grillo, executive director of Explore Millburn-Short Hills, says organizers took some important steps to make the event a success, and they learned valuable lessons. One of the most important lessons: Create a charitable partnership.
Explore Millburn-Short Hills partnered with Opportunity Project, a local nonprofit organization that supports individuals with brain injuries. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, so the timing meshed.
Explore Millburn-Short Hills offered Opportunity Project a way to fundraise directly through restaurant sales and donations. During the inaugural Restaurant Week, Opportunity Project raised $6,000 from donations.
Some restaurants embraced the charitable angle. Jack’s Lobster Shack, for example, created a line of branded apparel and donated a portion of the proceeds. At least two other businesses worked to hire staff from the organization.
“Having a partner who brought so much goodwill to the event elevated Restaurant Week’s meaning and created a true feeling of community benefit,” Grillo says.
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