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NILES — A popular week-long celebration returns to eateries throughout the city of Niles next week.

The second annual Niles Restaurant Week will take place the second week of March, beginning Monday, March 7 and continuing through Sunday, March 13.

A partnership between Niles Main Street/DDA and Greater Niles Chamber, the event will feature more than a dozen local restaurants in the 49120 area code, including Create Bar & Grill, Ginny’s Place, Gabrizio Italian Café and Bakery, Iron Shoe Distillery and many more local favorites.

“It was something we made happen on the fly,” said Restaurant Week Coordinator and Niles Main Street/DDA Board Member Justin Flagel. “We threw it together and it was a huge success, and we knew we had to bring it back this year. We’re making it happen and it’s going to be awesome.”

Niles Restaurant Week was created to help drive business to local restaurants that have faced unprecedented challenges due to current events. Flagel hopes to build on the success of last year’s inaugural event.

“Restaurants loved it and the customers loved it, too,” Flagel said. “The feedback has been pretty phenomenal. They love to eat good food and love to support local businesses.”

Participating restaurants will feature unique, limited-time menus, specials and events as part of this week-long celebration of Niles local cuisine.

“We encourage them to have unique items that aren’t available all the time or debut a new item,” Flagel said. “Basically anything unique in some form or fashion that will draw people in. Then people can say, ‘this place is cool,’ ‘this is a place I’ll come back to.’ It’s a great way to make new customers.”

Flagel believes Niles Restaurant Week is another opportunity to showcase the city as a “food place.”

“It shows everyone in the area how much food we have,” Flagel said. “A few years ago, we did a big study that determined that Niles is a ‘food place.’ It wants to be a food place and has that potential so that’s what we have driven it toward, successfully so. It highlights what we’re doing. … Niles is doing big things, and this is just another way of showing that. I’m excited for people to discover new things and see how awesome Niles is.”

Below is a full list of participating restaurants:

• The Brass Eye
• Brew Ha Ha Café
• CJ’s Pizza & Subs
• Create Bar & Grill
• El Amigo Pepe
• Front Street Pizza Pub
• Gabrizio Italian Café & Bakery
• Ginny’s Place
• Healthy Habits
• Iron Shoe Distillery
• Jay’s Lounge
• Jim’s Smokin’ Café
• Lakeside Bar & Grill
• Niles Brewing Company
• Pizza Transit
• Plaza Family Restaurant
• Prime Table Restaurant
• Veni’s Sweet Shop
• Wings Etc.

 

To stay up to date on all things Niles Restaurant Week, readers may follow the event online at EatDrinkNiles, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/EatDrinkNiles.

Sponsors include Southwestern Michigan College, On Base Productions, Michigan Works!, Circle Federal Credit Union, Express Employment Professionals.