Here’s your chance to try that restaurant you’ve been eyeing without blowing the budget.
Taste Around—formerly known as Dine Around—is underway at nearly 60 dining establishments around the Central Okanagan, offering set-price menus between $25 and $65.
For many in the industry, it’s a chance to draw people in at what is traditionally a slow time of year.
“That takes us through a couple of weeks. Hopefully, that has the opportunity to fill our seats. Then that leads right into Valentine’s Day,” said chef Chris Braun at Erica Jane restaurant, at the base of One Water Street.
Urban Distilleries, which recently relocated to Bernard Avenue in downtown Kelowna, is one of the participating businesses.
“Taste Around gives us an opportunity to launch our brand-new food offering. (We have) a lot of farm-to-table stuff here and we’re very excited for people to come try it,” said owner Mark Spurgeon.
“This is an opportunity to showcase our food for the locals so that they can plan for the summer ahead, for bringing guests down to a different sort of venue,” he adds.
Not long after Taste Around wraps up, Kelowna will be hosting a major sporting event, when the Montana’s Brier takes over Prospera Place from Feb. 28 to March 9. It’s expected to inject millions of dollars into the local economy.
Braun says Erica Jane will be adjusting its opening hours to tap into the excitement.
“We’re going to try to open at 9 a.m, offer a big brunch, which will lead into some lunch features and then right into a lot of Happy Hour features, just to give the locals a place to go to after watching the events over at the arena.
“We’re estimating a huge population going through that arena in the week of the Brier – news crews, the who’s who of curling. We hope to be the spot for people to come to.”
You can find the full list of participating restaurants and their set-price menus on the Taste Around BC website. Taste Around Central Okanagan continues until Feb. 9.