By Lois Ann Baker / CORNWALL STANDARD-FREEHOLDER
CORNWALL, Ontario –
Based on the huge success of last summer’s Seaway Food Festival, Bastion Hospitality is ready to try a winter edition.
Sebastien Manigat, director of the festival, said it worked so well in the summer, and in the winter, restaurants have to be more innovative to get people out to eat.
So once again the festival will allow restaurant goers a chance to have a nice meal at one of the participating restaurants for between $22 and $28 from March 3 to March 7.
“We were blown away,” said Manigat of the response from the summer festival. “It was a new proposition. It was trying to get people to go more to a casual dining experience. We were sceptical and it took some convincing and we had pioneers. Restaurants who said, you know what this could work.”
The low-priced fixed menu offers the opportunity to try various local restaurants.
Last summer, close to 1,000 meals were served during the festival.
“You can imagine how ecstatic we were,” said Manigat. “We want to make it bigger. We want to make it better. We targeted a very specific slice of the community through social media because most of our advertising was done online. Even the restaurants were blasting the event through their social media. Now we want to expand and get out in the community a little more.”
Last year six restaurants participated in the festival and this winter event is hoping to attract twice that. Not only is Manigat hoping for more restaurants, he is hoping other restaurants in the surrounding communities will join in.
“It’s pretty optimistic, but we have been able to demonstrate it has been pretty successful,” he said.
So far, only Moustahce Joe’s and Bar Q have firm commitments to take part in the festival and Manigat is busy visiting other establishments to try to sign them up.
“I’m pretty confident we will have the same six restaurants sign up,” he said.
Manigat said as soon as the festival ended last summer, he was asked when it was going to happen again.
“After polling the restaurants that participated and the response we got online, it was a no-brainer for us to do a summer and a winter version,” said Manigat. “My intention was always to do another summer one, which we are doing again. It’s going to happen next July.”
Restaurants interested in joining the festival can find out more at www.bastionhospitality.ca or by calling Manigat at 1-866-620-5142.
