Why no Restaurant Week in Columbus this year — and will it come back?
July 2025 is passing without the annual Columbus Restaurant Week because the event did not garner enough sponsorship support, Stephanie Woodham, founder of Yalla Public Relations, told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Restaurant Week raised money and awareness for Giving Kitchen, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers in crisis.
Community and corporate sponsorships allowed Yalla PR to execute a $20,000 or more marketing campaign at no cost to the participating restaurants, Woodham said. But this year, the funding fell short.
“This event has long been a celebration of our city’s vibrant culinary scene,” she said. “And we understand how much it means to both the community and our restaurant partners. The decision was not made lightly, and we remain incredibly grateful for the support our local restaurants received over the years.”
Restaurant Week attracted more customers to locally owned and operated establishments, Woodham said, with at least 30 restaurants having participated. Many of them have reported that Restaurant Week is one of their most profitable weeks of the year, she said.
Restaurant Week’s impact
Angie White, owner of Tuesdays Street Tacos & Burritos on Williams Road, has participated in Restaurant Week two of the four years running her eatery. The impact of Restaurant Week is hard to gauge, she told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“I offered a special menu,” she said. “But I promoted it in the brick-and-mortar as well as on my socials. It was hard to track if the customers were coming in specifically for Restaurant Week, or if my customers were persuaded to order by the three-course menu from the focus that we have always had on our fusion items.”
Establishments that participated in Restaurant Week offered special menus with multicourse meal options, typically featuring an appetizer, entree and dessert.
Although White couldn’t quantify the event’s impact on her business, she enjoyed the festivities that accompanied Restaurant Week and the larger purpose behind it.
“It is important (for Restaurant Week) to return because of the attention it brings to the Giving Kitchen,” White said.
Any remaining proceeds from Restaurant Week were donated to the Giving Kitchen, Woodham said. Contributions totaled almost $10,000 over the years, she said.
“It’s been a powerful way for the hospitality industry to give back to its own,” Woodham said. “And we’re proud of that legacy.
Will Restaurant Week return?
Yalla PR is committed to bringing the tradition back next year, Woodham said. Restaurant Week highlights the innovation, passion and hospitality of the Columbus food scene, she said.
“Our goal is to rally renewed support from sponsors and partners,” Woodham said. “So we can bring this meaningful event back stronger than ever next year. We believe in the power of food to bring people together and will continue working to make that possible.”
This story was originally published July 31, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
