For Houston diners desperate to visit all the restaurants on their Houston Restaurant Week checklist by the end of the month, there’s good news: Restaurant deals have been extended.
For the third time in Houston Restaurant Weeks’ 21-year history, the fan-favorite dining event and largest annual fundraiser for the Houston Food Bank will be extended nearly a month through Sept. 30, according to a press release. The massive dining extravaganza was originally scheduled to end on Labor Day, which falls on Monday, Sept. 2. However, the Cleverly Stone Foundation, which organized the event, has extended the length of its contracts to help Houston-area restaurants recover from the physical and financial damage they suffered from the derecho in May and Hurricane Beryl in July.
During this impromptu encore, the organization will adjust the use of the funds raised: From now on, the Houston Food Bank will receive $1 for each multi-course prix fixe meal sold through September, up from the current $7, increasing the profits of Houston restaurants. However, the prices of the meals will remain the same: $25 for lunch and $39 or $55 for dinner.
Katie Stone, president of the Cleverly Stone Foundation, said in a statement that many restaurant owners have requested an extension in hopes of giving their establishments and employees a chance to recover. Many local chefs, including Jacques Fox of Artisans, say Houston Restaurant Weeks have also helped attract new diners, especially at lunchtime, which has been slower since the peak of the COVID pandemic.
The extension is a rare event and once again underscores the severity of the storms’ ongoing impact on restaurants struggling to provide the same level of hospitality as before this summer’s events. The Cleverly Foundation extended Houston Restaurant Weeks after Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and again in 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic.
For a full list of restaurants participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks, visit the event’s official website. websiteSee Eater Houston’s recommendations Here.
