SOUTH BEND, Ind. —The holiday season is over and done. The gifts have been opened, the decorations have come down (for most everyone) and family members have made their way back across town, across the state and across the country.

This time of year, it’s hard to fight the feelings of hibernation that keep people hunkered-down at home, but leaders in downtown South Bend feel that Winter Restaurant Week is more than enough of a reason to get out and support local establishments.

This year’s event, which runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8, will have 16 participating locations in downtown South Bend, all with unique menu items and entertainment for customers. Some restaurants will be offering traditional menu items at value prices, some will be putting new twists on traditional menu items, and some will be debuting new items to taste test throughout the week. All participating restaurants will be offering a value-priced menu, with meals selling for $11, $22 and $33.

“Each restaurant will have their own drink and food specials, and some places will have a variety of live music throughout the week. It really is a little something for everybody,” said Cathy Dietz, Downtown South Bend’s event coordinator.

Traditionally, the period spanning the last weeks of January and the first weeks of February are the slowest times of the year for the restaurant industry. So, more than a decade ago, a handful of restaurants in South Bend decided to do something about it. Instead of competing against one another to try to draw in customers, they decided to band together to create Winter Restaurant Week and turn downtown South Bend into a destination for people from all over the area.

Chicory Café co-owner Jeff Morauski has participated in Winter Restaurant Week for the past two years and has seen the positive impact that the event has on not only his restaurant, but the entire city.

“It’s a great event for the entire area, it brings people downtown and we usually see a substantial increase in sales over the course of the week,” Morauski said. “We have live music four days a week and will continue to have entertainment for customers throughout the week.”

On top of the great atmosphere and the mood that Winter Restaurant Week brings to the city is that fact that it is also for a great cause. At the end of the week, each restaurant that participates will donate 10 percent of its total sales from menu items to the Memorial Children’s Hospital in South Bend.

More information on Winter Restaurant Week can be found on Downtown South Bend’s website, downtownsouthbend.com.