An estimated 35,000 customers spent more than £1 million during Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, delivering a major boost to the city economy as restaurants, bars and cafes hailed the latest Foodie Fortnight as one of the best yet.
Service is over for the two-week festival, which came to a close on Sunday, but city hospitality businesses are still savouring the boost it brought through their doors.
In fact, top city chef Graham Mitchell suggested the event become Aberdeen Restaurant Month after his two Tarragon venues were packed during the festival.
Graham Mitchell, Chef proprietor of Aberdeen’s two Tarragon restaurants, said: “Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks has been absolutely phenomenal for us. Both Tarragon by Graham Mitchell and Tarragon on the Terrace have been fully booked, and what has been particularly encouraging is seeing so many new faces coming through the doors.
“We’ve had customers telling us they had never visited before, but Restaurant Weeks gave them the reason to try us – and they’re already saying they’ll be back. That is exactly what an initiative like this should achieve.
“I joked that we should stop calling it Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks and make it Aberdeen Restaurant Month, but there is a serious point behind that. When you see the difference these two weeks have made, you have to ask how we keep that momentum going? Aberdeen has a fantastic food and drink scene, with some incredibly talented chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality teams, and we need to keep giving people reasons to come out and experience it.”
His enthusiasm for Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, staged twice a year by Aberdeen Inspired, was shared by Chef Jang of Yorokobi by CJ.
“Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks has been a great success for the whole team at Yorokobi by CJ with the restaurant full, especially at weekends. In fact, on the first weekend of the festival we had people queuing at the door, as we were so busy,” said Chef Jang.
“It has been a great opportunity for us to take part for the first time, and it has really paid off. We have been delighted to see new customers coming in to specifically try our Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks menu and we're over the moon to have received so many compliments about it. We hope those new guests will now become regular and much-valued customers.”
Chantal Necchi, owner of Gio’s by La Lombarda on the Castlegate, joined the chorus of approval for the Foodie Fortnight.
“I can honestly say this has been our best Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks so far. We’ve been really busy, with lots of new faces, our regulars and even people coming back who haven’t been to La Lombarda for years, which has been really lovely,” said Chantal.
“It’s also been really nice to see so many younger people coming in. We’re incredibly proud of our history going back to 1922, but we also need a new generation to discover Gio’s. Seeing them alongside people who remember La Lombarda from years ago is quite a nice mix!
“It’s been an exhausting couple of weeks, but a really enjoyable one. Seeing the restaurant so busy and then reading some of the lovely reviews afterwards makes it all worthwhile.”
A total of 83 venues joined in the celebration of the Granite City’s outstanding food and drink sector, offering specially priced dinner and lunch menus as well as curated a la carte and tasting menus.
Shona Byrne, Aberdeen Inspired’s project manager who oversees Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, said figures collated by the city centre Business Improvement District showed an estimated 35,000 diners had tucked into the Foodie Fortnight, contributing more than £1 million to the city economy over the two-week period.
She said the figures underlined the scale of the impact Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks can have, not only for participating hospitality businesses but for the wider city centre economy.
And Shona said the feedback from participating businesses had been positively glowing.
“I think this is the best reaction we have had yet, with so many venues telling us of being flat out busy or even fully booked as people seek out the specially-curated and unique menus on offer for Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks,” said Shona.
“They have been delighted at the way the public have been supporting the festival and the businesses taking part, with that enthusiasm translating into increased footfall and trade.
“During the two weeks of Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks, the city has certainly felt busier and bustling – which is one of the driving forces for Aberdeen Inspired staging the Foodie Fortnight.”
Public reaction has also been overwhelmingly positive, with many people going online to post about some of the outstanding meals they have enjoyed and sharing top tips and suggestions about where to eat.
In fact, social content posted by Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks ambassadors highlighting venues taking part has garnered an astonishing 1.1 million views on Instagram.
Shona said: “That shows how popular the event is and it is a delight to see the way people have embraced this latest outing of Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks. We can’t thank enough everyone who took the time to come into the city to enjoy the event and show their support for our hospitality sector.”
Other highlights of the event included two Secret Suppers which sold out within hours of going on sale, with diners only finding out on the day they would be eating at 210 Bistro and Tropicalismo.
Another popular twist for Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks was the “Dine, Scan, Win” campaign which had over 7,000 entries and saw one £50 Aberdeen Gift Card won every day by a lucky diner by scanning a special QR card at their table.
Shona said: “All our winners said they were so thrilled at the bonus of scooping an Aberdeen Gift Card while out enjoying and Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks meal. It did add a bit of excitement to things.”
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said he was delighted by the success of the latest Aberdeen Restaurant Weeks.
“It really is the perfect recipe for attracting people into Aberdeen with something they will enjoy while also supporting bricks and mortar businesses in our vital hospitality sector.
“And the boost brought by festival extends beyond the two weeks it is running. It really does give people a taste of just how good restaurants, bars and cafes are in Aberdeen. People will have found some new favourite places to eat and become regular customers, while also being inspired to seek out other new spots in future.
“The Foodie Fortnight really is a banquet for everyone, from diners to businesses and the wider city centre economy.”