The next several days mark San Diego Restaurant Week. That’s when chefs from around the county tempt diners to visit their establishments by offering lower-priced, multiple-course meals. Though some neighborhoods aren’t on the list, including City Heights.
To participate in the bi-annual dining event, restaurants must be members of the California Restaurant Association and pay a registration fee, which can be more than $1,000, said Jan Borkum, administrator for the association’s San Diego County Chapter.
Borkum said the culinary occasion benefits both the restaurants and diners because it comes during a slow time for the industry and encourages customers to try new places.
“It gives people a chance to experience restaurants that they may not normally be able to,” Borkum said.
Enrique Gandarilla, executive director for the City Heights Business Association, said the San Diego neighborhood is home to many independent establishments that may not want to risk plunking down a thousand bucks for Restaurant Week.
“I think the cost associated with participation in any sort of event is a factor for a small restaurant," Gandarilla said.
Still, he added, the community's "mom-and-pop" businesses are a draw. With restaurants boasting authentic cuisine from East Africa, Asia and south of the border, the business association dubbed the region “San Diego’s International Marketplace.”
“A lot of them are first-time immigrants who came here and they’re opening up a real ethnic restaurant, a real ethnic experience,” Gandarilla said.
Groups have tapped into that to promote the area, such as the weekly multinational food market Fair at 44 and the proclamation of the Little Saigon Business District along El Cajon Boulevard. On Friday, the Little Saigon Foundation of San Diego will host its Lunar New Year Festival at Qualcomm Stadium. The event features 22 Asian food vendors.
The local restaurant association chapter’s Borkum said she is planning to meet with representatives from City Heights restaurants to gauge their interest in September’s restaurant week.
In the meantime, City Heights has left a mark on this month’s event. Students at the neighborhood’s Hoover High School helped produce Restaurant Week's television advertisement. At a Restaurant Week kick-off event, organizers presented the school with a $1,500 check for the students’ work.
