Employees Say Tulsa’s Restaurant Week Brings More Customers, Benefits Food For Kids

It is Restaurant Week in Tulsa and some employees said so far, business is picking up quite a bit.  

Several restaurants are donating some of their proceeds for 10 days to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, to help the Food for Kids program. This is the 14th year for the event.  

For the first time this year, many restaurants are offering a family takeout meal for people who would rather eat at home because of the pandemic. Some participating restaurants said they are seeing a lot more people this week, and filling a ton of to-go orders, too. 

"Tulsa's such a giving town, people wanna go out,” Biga Owner and Chef Tuck Curren said.

Curren's restaurant was one of the first to participate when Restaurant Week first started. This year, 40 restaurants are participating, including Yokozuna, The Tavern, Prhyme and Lambrusco'z.   

"When you go to the restaurant, and you sit down, be sure to ask for that Restaurant Week menu, that way you know that a portion of your meal is gonna come back to our Food for Kids program at the food bank,” Greg Raskin, with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, said.  

Raskin said last year Restaurant Week raised more than $40,000. A match donation from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, brought the grand total to more than $65,000. The foundation will match up to $25,000 this year, too. 

The food bank said it is too early to know how much has been raised so far this week, but Curren said his restaurant is seeing more customers. 

"People make an effort to come during Restaurant Week. I try to make it really a value, really good stuff for a reasonable price, so the food bank can get the money,” he said.  

Curren said last weekend was the busiest weekend he has had since he reopened his restaurant this summer. He said the restaurant ran out of to-go boxes and had to quickly get more to fill orders. 

Around the corner at Lambrusco'z, employees said it has been a busy week for them, too.  

The event wraps up this Sunday. To see which restaurants are participating, click here.