Local businesses hoping to pick up with Winter Restaurant Weeks

The event features 30 local South Bend restaurants who will offer deals and specialty menu items.

Ahead of restaurant weeks, Michiana was hit with cold temperatures and heaps of snow. Some of the participating restaurants said that fewer people were willing to brave the elements and they have had less customers lately, something general manager for The Lauber, Daniel Hill, said happens most winters.

“We kind of get used to it, like every year, this time of the year, it’s the slow season. So, you know, it’s kind of like hard to… provide hours to all our employees, but we still try to keep running, we try to provide all the service that we usually do over the entire year,” said Hill.

Co-owner of Woochi Japanese Fusion & Bar, David Meredith, said there’s no getting away from Indiana weather, “Last week… like dinner time we don’t see as much people as you know last month…but we are in Indiana,”.

Meredith said this community shows support for each other, no matter how cold. With their deals ready, reservations are already filling up for Saturday, when the temperature will be in the single digits.

Hill said Winter Restaurant Weeks helps get them and all the local spots through the tough, cold times, but it also gives people a great meal for a deal.

“It’s important for the support this time of the year for all the businesses, because we are there the entire year, trying to provide these services, trying to be hospitality for all of you and it’s important for you guys to support us too even in this time, I know it’s kind of hard sometimes, we don’t want to get out of the house because the winter is crazy… the thing is, it’s a good opportunity for the people to show that appreciation for the business that has been working with them for all the years,” said Hill.

To view the details of Winter Restaurant Weeks, click "See Also."