August’s NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week was a record-breaking success, surpassing all previous records.
The event generated a spend of more than £870,000 in participating restaurants, with more than 52,000 diners taking part.
Numbers were up on the previous records of £640,000 in January 2022 and 48,000 diners in January 2020. Results of August’s event are still awaited from a small number of the city’s biggest restaurants, with the final income total expected to exceed £900,000.
Combined with January’s event, this year’s two restaurant weeks generated more than £1.5 million for the city’s economy, delivering a welcome boost for the hospitality industry.
A total of 113 restaurants took part in August’s event, making it one of the largest on record.
Daniel Stamas, owner of Kafeneon, said: “August was our biggest and most successful restaurant week ever. We enjoyed welcoming hundreds of new customers and many of our trusted regulars. The timing of the event couldn’t have been better as we prepare to expand the business and its capacity with the addition of our newly renovated first floor. We are proud to take part and are ardent supporters of the event and all NE1’s events and activities across the year.”
Ben Whitfield, director of communications at NE1, added: “NE1’s Restaurant Week is a fabulous event which continues to grow in popularity and stature, and has become a firm fixture in Newcastle’s events calendar. Even without the final tallies, we have beaten all previous records for the number of diners and income generated. Businesses across the city have seen a huge £1.5 million boost over two weeks of the year, which is a major achievement and a massive return on investment.
“NE1’s Newcastle Restaurant Week provides a significant economic boost for businesses at crucial times of the year, especially this year as businesses work hard to continue their bounce back from the pandemic. With the public’s enthusiasm for Restaurant Week clear to see, we can’t wait for the next event.”
