January 2018 Celebrates the 15th NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week

Over 100 restaurants have signed up for this January’s event and a number of them are new venues that have opened in the city since the last Restaurant Week was held in August. Among the newcomers are The Laundrette, Aurora Kitchen, French Quarter, Hudson and Signor Prosecco – all were quick to get involved months after opening their doors.

Inspired by New York and its original Restaurant Week concept, NE1 launched Newcastle Restaurant Week in 2011 to turn the spotlight on the city’s restaurant scene and encourage people to try out some of the city’s top restaurants for the first time, all for a fixed price menu. Newcastle Restaurant Week was the first of its kind in the UK and many other cities have adopted the initiative, seeking to emulate Newcastle’s success.

The event was designed to boost trade at traditionally quiet times of the year in January and August but is now so popular and much-anticipated that the week is among the busiest of the year for participating restaurants and sees many of the restaurants fully booked for the week.

Last January, the event delivered a number of record breaking firsts for participating restaurants, it hit the 100 milestone mark for those taking part, delivered a £1/2 million business boost for these venues and saw 45,000 people dining out during Restaurant Week. The event also broke all previous website activity with over 1.4 million visits to the NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week page before the week began.

Stephen Patterson, Director of Communications at NE1 Ltd said:

“Newcastle Restaurant Week is one of the most popular events in NE1’s annual events calendar and is eagerly anticipated each January and August. We originally launched the event with only 13 restaurants and it has grown dramatically over the last 6 years – mirroring the expansion of the city’s restaurant scene, which now has more restaurants per square mile than any other Northern city, and the highest independent start up rate of any other city outside London We’re always delighted to welcome new restaurants into the fold and hope they have a successful week.”

Terry Laybourne said:
"We have always supported the idea of NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week. It is great to have an event that brings Newcastle's restaurant community together and allows us to celebrate the city's culinary credentials.

"In August, we timed Porterhouse's opening in the Fenwick Food Hall to coincide with Restaurant Week. The event is always so successful for our restaurants and it helped Porterhouse to establish itself very quickly on the restaurant scene. It's always a busy week, allowing diners to try new venues, and this popularity tests our kitchens, the team and the menus. If Porterhouse and sister restaurants within 21 Hospitality Group can cope with the rigours of NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week, they can cope with anything."

Louise Fawcett, General Manager, Laundrette Restaurant said:

“We knew all about NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week even before we’d opened and were very keen to get involved as soon as we could. We’ve only been open for three months so are very excited to be involved in our first Restaurant Week and have a great menu in store for diners. It is a great way for people to come and try out what the Laundrette has to offer and our staff are gearing up for the onslaught.”

For details of all participating venues and to download NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week vouchers visit www.getintonewcastle.co.uk/ne1-events/restaurant-week