CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Restaurant owners are expecting a big boost in business as diners come out for Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week.
The 10-day, bi-annual event invites culinary hotspots to offer prix fixe menus for three courses, ranging from $30 to $50. Nine counties are represented by the 109 participating restaurants.
Bruce and Jill Hensley of Hensley Fontana Public Relations organize the event each January and July.
“The best way to take advantage of Restaurant Week is to go to the web page and see what suits you outside of your typical economic or geographic footprint,” said Bruce Hensley. “Try a new concept, try a new neighborhood, try a new town.”
Queen’s Feast began in 2008 with 42 restaurants. At that time, guests could get a three-course meal at any participating restaurant for $30. After the pandemic, and a two-iteration hiatus, restaurants could choose their price tier of $30, $35, $40, $45, or $50 per person.
Kristen Wile, founder and editor of Unpretentious Palate https://unpretentiouspalate.com/, said the flexible options opened the door for more restaurants to participate.
“Restaurants can now set their menu price at $5 increments, so that way it’s not the restaurant saying, ‘ok, what can we serve for $30 that still gives a good view of our restaurant?’ Because for some restaurants, that’s just not possible anymore. If you’re a restaurant serving higher quality proteins or local vegetables, in order to make that $30 work and not be at a loss, you’re not serving much,” she said.
Wile said rising food costs further limit chefs. She encourages diners to keep that in mind if they experience changes in portion sizes or menu prices.
“If you look at a plate of chicken and you’re like, ‘why is it $10 more than it was five years ago?’ and there are a lot of reasons for that. It’s not just what’s on your plate, it’s the labor, the rents are also crazy in a city like Charlotte,” she said. “It’s not just the cost of chicken per pound, it’s the holistic view of the restaurant you’re sitting in.”
The National Restaurant Association Reports in the past four years, average food costs for restaurants have risen 29% while labor costs are up 31%.
Despite the challenges, 17 restaurants are first-time participants in Queen’s Feast 2025.
Owners who join in year after year say business increases about 30% to 35% during the week, in an otherwise slow month.
The Regional Executive Chef with Napa, David Sears, said he takes a painstakingly close look at the cost of each ingredient in the planned dishes on the prix fixe menu to balance flavor with funds.
“Keep in mind, this is more marketing for us than it is for us to get financial gains. So, we’re willing to spend a little bit more because we know we’re going to be able to bring in some new guests and patrons to our restaurants,” Sears said.
Event organizers say they’re proud to showcase a wide variety of eateries, but they’re still working to get back to their pre-pandemic number of participating restaurants, which peaked at 143 in January 2020.
“It’s been it’s been really tough, but the restaurants are resilient. They’re figuring it out. You know, they adjust their prices, they adjust their labor force, they adjust their menus based on the supply chain,” Hensley “The restaurants are rock stars as far as I’m concerned.”
Queen’s Feast runs Friday, Jan. 17 through Sunday, Jan. 26. Reservations are highly recommended.
