Reader: No Denver Restaurant Week in August? That bites!

Don't look for a second installment of Denver Restaurant Week next summer: Visit Denver, the convention and visitors bureau that organizes the event that's grown into two weeks in the winter, says that DRW can't split those two weeks and share the dining wealth between seasons because August is just...

By Patricia Calhoun

September 2, 2011

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Don't look for a second installment of Denver Restaurant Week next summer: Visit Denver, the convention and visitors bureau that organizes the event that's grown into two weeks in the winter, says that DRW can't split those two weeks and share the dining wealth between seasons because August is just too packed with activities

And that's disappointed both diners and restaurateurs, who liked the idea of eateries getting to strut their stuff in a different season.

Says MB:

2 weeks during 2 different times of the year would've been great

Offdisc has a lot more to say about the decision:

VISIT Denver seems to do a great job at promoting Denver, but in the end, they are a "political" machine that makes decisions for *their* bottom line.

When you look at the "we heard.." section, there is one glaring omission: there is no "we heard that some restaurants do NOT want a week in the summer". Sure, some like having the 2 weeks in winter and some don't, but were there any complaints about adding another DRW to the schedule?

Then you look at the reasoning and OMG what a load! Why just late-summer, early-fall? If the idea is to give some break between the DRW weeks, and to showcase patios (as claimed), then shouldn't early-August be OK? There are no events on VISIT Denver's calendar for that timeframe. The Dragon Boats are late-July, at the same time as the Denver County Fair. Then a gap until the USA Pro Cycling event.

And the idea that VISIT Denver cannot host two grand events at the same time is silly. Oktoberfest starts 2 weeeks after Taste of Colorado, and runs right into (overlapping even) Denver Beer Fest.

I am glad that Mr Bressler should openness and honesty when expressing the real reason: August is busy season for out-of-town delegates, and they need a place to spend their money! Of course, if restaurants were really fully booked at that time, why would they request a second DRW during that timeframe? The logic doesn't add up.

Well, if the restaurants are serious about starting a second DRW or reducing the current one down to one week (or both!), they have ALL the power. Simply decline to register for next year's DRW! I'm sure when VISIT DENVER sees a reversal to the "steady year-over-year increase", they'll get the message and reconsider their decision. A short-term disadvantage to those of us that truly enjoy DRW and all it offers, but in the long run, I'd rather have the double DRW and restaurants happy, not burdened, to participate.

Visit Denver is currently surveying restaurateurs to find out if they'd like to keep the two-week span in winter, or return to the original single week. As for you Denver diners, what you like to see?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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