COLUMBIA, S.C. — This weekend marks the first weekend of Restaurant Week in Columbia, and local restaurants like the Vineyard on Hampton Street are hoping for the best.
Vineyard on Hampton has participated in Restaurant Week for almost 30 years, and every year, managing partner Jonathan Lopez says it brings a helpful boost.
"It makes a really big difference, especially when they have it," Lopez explained. "They choose times that are typically a little bit slower for restaurants so January and the end of summer, which really for us the real benefit is that you're bringing in people that are excited about restaurants during a time when people are typically not going out as much."
The Vineyard is a nice sit-down-style restaurant that serves traditional French food. The Vineyard on Hampton and their neighbors down the road at Good Life Cafe are both hoping restaurant week will bring some new hungry faces to their doors.
"Us being a very small restaurant and then being one of the only vegan restaurants so we have to fight a little harder to get people in," said Executive Chef, Bonnie Lindler.
This food-centric week gives residents and visitors to Columbia a chance to try locally-owned restaurants at a special price as well.
"It's like $15, we have a Mediterranean pizza with vegan mozzarella, and we're also doing a taco pizza with seasoned crushed walnuts as the meat replacement," Lindler said.
All the participating restaurants have special menus dedicated to restaurant week and range in price from about $15 to $70.
Restaurant Week will last until January 22.