Inaugural 'Saucon Valley Restaurant Week' Planned for July

Dining aficionados and local "foodies" take note: the end of July could mark the beginning of an exciting new culinary tradition in the Saucon Valley.

Although plans are still tentative, the Hellertown Borough Business Revitalization Program (HBBRP) hopes to help stage an inaugural "Saucon Valley Restaurant Week" at that time. All local restaurants are being invited to participate, and a flyer-style invitation detailing requirements for participation has been prepared for distribution, along with a sign-up form.

On Jan. 12, HBBRP members met at Hellertown's  to discuss plans for the restaurant week, which will be modeled after similar, successful events in and Allentown and at .

Members decided at the meeting to make the tentative dates for Saucon Valley's restaurant week Sunday, July 22 to Saturday, July 28.

In order to participate, a dining establishment will need to offer a variety of week-long specials at prices fixed in $5 increments. Restaurants will have the opportunity to offer breakfast, lunch and/or dinner "pre-fixe" specials.

A typical dinner special might include an appetizer, entree and dessert for a set price of $25 per person, whereas a breakfast special might cost as little as $5.

Each participating restaurant will also be asked to donate a gift certificate with a "two meal" minimum value for a drawing to be held at the conclusion of restaurant week. One winner would be drawn for each donated gift certificate.

The cost of the gift certificate would be the establishment's only direct cost to participate in the event, according to the flyer and sign-up form prepared by the HBBRP's Mary Himmelberger.

Himmelberger is the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's Community Revitalization & Regional Chamber Coordinator for Hellertown.

Restaurants that are potentially interested in participating in the event are being encouraged to start thinking about their menus now, in preparation for the next planning stage, which will begin in early spring.

At that point--after the March 2 deadline for restaurants to commit to participating--the HBBRP said it expects to solicit menus and prices from the establishments that have decided to be a part of restaurant week.

According to both the meeting discussion and the flyer, the HBBRP plans to spearhead promotion of restaurant week in June and July, with signage, advertising, press releases and reminders for visitors to the .

For further information about the event as it is being planned, email Himmelberger at maryh@lehighvalleychamber.org.

The HBBRP meets on the second Thursday of each month at 8:30am at Cafe Erica. Meetings are open to the public.