The new Restaurant Week feeds more than just restaurant guests

The success of last weekend’s Gumbo Crawl is just one example of how people love to sample our restaurants here in the Cape Region. Crawls used to be the exclusive domain of places like New Orleans’ French Quarter, localized New York neighborhoods, the occasional Riverwalk (anywhere), Duval Street in Key West and any number of Little Italys across the country. But the big business of eating here at the beach has made our Cape Region a destination for people who appreciate good food served up in a wide variety of styles. 

I haven’t inherited much in my life, but I truly love my most recent inheritance: The Rehoboth Beach Restaurant Week that I proudly share with none other than the Cape Gazette. Our first official act was to make the event more inclusive so we could help out a charity in the process. So the much-anticipated week-long celebration of beach eats is now the Coastal Delaware Restaurant Week. From Sunday, June 4, to Friday, June 9, restaurants in downtown Rehoboth, Lewes, Dewey and up and down Coastal Highway will offer prix fixe deals tailored to pretty much every budget. 

The increased number of participating eateries allows us to donate a portion of the proceeds to Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth - our local Meals on Wheels providing hot, nourishing food and regular visits to our homebound neighbors in Rehoboth, Lewes and Harbeson. These deserving seniors might not have the wherewithal to visit the local restaurants, and chances are that they have no way of getting there anyway. So with more businesses participating, more people will benefit. I like that kind of math. 

Participating eateries (more than 25 have joined so far!) can avail themselves of a powerful set of resources operating in concert to get the word out there to the world. A custom-made website, www.RestaurantWeekDE.com, is available with individual listings and photos. There is also a surfeit of radio, print and online promotion - including a comprehensive social media campaign. Restaurant week attendees will have the freedom to pick and choose where they want to go by perusing online menus, reviews and other pertinent information. It’s a win-win for everyone, including those who depend on Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth for their next meal. 

Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth was organized in 1970 and funded by the Delaware Division of Aging in 1973. In its first year, this program delivered 16,609 meals to our local, homebound neighbors. By the end of the 1970s, more than 20,000 meals per year were being distributed. As client needs grew, the program expanded to include a holistic approach to providing services. A comparison between the cost of institutionalization and the cost of providing home-delivered meals shows that our Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth program makes wise use of every penny raised here in Sussex County. 

Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth has over 125 dedicated volunteers who make the charity’s mission a reality. Each day, drivers deliver two meals to each client on one of 13 routes in Sussex County. And with client numbers on the rise, recruitment of additional drivers is never-ending. 

So mark your calendar for Sunday, June 4! Get out there in Rehoboth, Lewes, Dewey and on Coastal Highway and be a part of the brand-new Coastal Delaware Restaurant week. And while you are enjoying your lunches and dinners, know that you’re also helping to serve lunches and dinners to the less fortunate right here in the Cape Region. 

See? I told you it’s a win-win.