Austin Restaurant Weeks Unites the Entire City in the Fight Against Hunger
Various Locations, August 15 – September 2
We live in a booming, food-centric city. Stacked with culinary giants and now a global destination for scrumptious discoveries (and I’m not just talking tacos and barbecue), Austin takes pride in a well-made plate. And yet studies show that across our vast state, more than 4 million Texans face food insecurity, exceeding the national average. One nonprofit leading the charge in the battle against hunger is the Central Texas Food Bank. Founded in 1982, the organization serves 46,000 people each week across 21 Central Texas counties.
For the second year in a row, the food bank is partnering with more than 80 restaurants and bars to host Austin Restaurant Weeks, a two-week-long community fundraiser. Kicking off on August 15, this year’s stellar lineup, ranging from eateries like Contigo to Holy Roller to Rosewood, will offer prix fixe meal options, with specialty cocktails priced at $12, lunch and brunch available for $20, and dinner selections set at either $35 or $50. A portion of those proceeds will be given directly to the food bank. With every dollar donated generating four meals, the event emphasizes the enormous impact one small act can have — especially considering it raised more than $137,000 last year. Meanwhile, our local culinary industry benefits from an influx of business, and patrons get a chance to dine on mouthwatering dishes from buzzworthy newcomers or longtime favorites at discounted prices.
Now that’s a Texas-size win-win.