One week into the ten-day event, eateries across The Little City are bustling with customers — old and new — signs of a successful return for the City of Falls Church Restaurant Week. The annual event, run by the News-Press for seven years (2013-2019) before the Covid-19 pandemic postponed the eighth event planned for late March 2020, has changed a bit for 2024, with the City hiring outside public relations firm Proxima PR to revive the event as a ten-day January event exclusive to eateries within City limits.
Despite the snowstorm and icy blast that coincided with the first day of the event last Friday, Falls Church Restaurant Week is back with a bang, and feedback from participating eateries highlight the positive impact the event has on the community. We reached out to seven participants to gather insights on how this year’s event is shaping up.
Participating in Falls Church Restaurant Week for their first time since opening in 2021, Harvey’s (513 W. Broad St.) has been thrilled with the turnout. Despite a slow daytime crowd as the snow fell on Friday, traffic picked up that evening, thanks to Restaurant Week.
“We have seen a good amount of new guests coming in to try us,” said owner/chef Thomas Harvey, “and I think that makes Falls Church Restaurant Week a glowing success.” Harvey says 60-70 percent of all guests this week have opted for their specially curated Restaurant Week menu, a three-course meal starting with either salad or soup, followed by a choice of four feature entrees, and finishing with one of three delicious dessert options, all at a special rate of just $45. Harvey’s also expressed gratitude to Tricia Barba and Falls Church Economic Development for their effective marketing efforts, acknowledging their major role in the success of this new Restaurant Week.
One of just three Mexican food eateries participating in Restaurant Week, Cuates Grill (502 W. Broad St.) says Restaurant Week has provided a much-needed boost to business. “Restaurant business has been slower than usual,” said co-owner Luis Merchan, “this program is definitely helping, and the little business that we have was because of it.” Cuates opened its Falls Church location in December 2021 making this the location’s first Falls Church Restaurant Week. The chain opened its first restaurant in Georgetown in 2008, followed by an Alexandria location in 2014. Upon mentioning Falls Church Restaurant Week, guests will enjoy one complimentary dessert, and 15 percent off their bill of $75 or more.
Dominion Wine & Beer (107 Rowell Ct.) is enjoying the opportunity Falls Church Restaurant Week has provided to feature their plans for expansion. Initially a retail wine and beer store, Dominion expanded in 2018, adding a second floor full-service restaurant and bar. “For us at Dominion, [Restaurant Week] was a great opportunity to showcase what is coming in the future for our culinary program with our partnership with the Brick House Butcher next door,” said Arash Tafakor, who co-owns Dominion Wine and Beer with his brother Afsheen. Tafakor says their Restaurant Week special featured three items exclusively sourced from Brick House. “Being able to get the word out about Brick House opening up and serving the residents of Falls Church definitely helped with the timing of Restaurant Week, so we couldn’t be happier,” he continued. Brick House Butcher (109 Rowell Ct.), also owned by the brothers, will open in February and offer a variety of fresh and ready-to-cook beef, poultry, seafood, and pork products. The Tafakor brothers also plan to develop the former Stratford Motor Lodge (300 W. Broad St.), an eyesore which has sat shuttered for over two years, with another restaurant — their plan for the site was approved just last month by the Falls Church Planning Commission.
Dogwood Tavern (132 W. Broad St.) has also enjoyed this year’s Restaurant Week. District manager Sam Saslowsky says the structure and organization provided by the organizers put a heavy emphasis on connecting participating restaurants, resulting in what he calls “a cohesive, linked social media network and coordinated marketing strategy.” Though Saslowsky says they’ve noticed snow days seeming to keep more people home than they did prior to 2020, they’ve received excellent feedback on their $35 prix fixe menu special — a three course meal starting with blue crab and corn fritters, followed by cajun shrimp and grits with Virginia ham, rounded off by house-made bananas foster bread pudding with caramel and ice cream.
“Dogwood Tavern was overjoyed to collaborate with the organizers in making Falls Church Restaurant Week a well-planned and exciting offer for residents of The Little City,” Saslosky continued, “getting to be creative and offer some new takes on classic cajun-influenced comfort food has been wonderful, and we look forward to continuing to serve our guests this fantastic fare over the course of the coming weekend.”
Thompson Italian (124 N. Washington St.), participating in Restaurant Week for the first time, is also enjoying the event. Despite some cancellations on Friday as the snow fell, they were fortunately busy that evening, and have remained so throughout the event. Their $50 three-course menu special for Restaurant Week includes one of three starters, three entrees, and three desserts, which they say was ordered by about 200 customers in the first four days of the event alone, representing about one third of their guests. “It’s such a pleasure to welcome new guests to Thompson Italian, and we cherish the opportunity to connect with our regulars, whose support means the world to us,” said Katherine Thompson, co-owner of Thompson Italian, “Events like Restaurant Week highlight the vibrant and growing restaurant scene in Falls Church, and shine a spotlight on the excellent culinary experiences our city has to offer.”
The Falls (370 W. Broad St.) and Northside Social Falls Church (205 Park Ave.), two participating eateries owned by restaurateur brothers Mark and Stephen Fedorchak, have seen significant participation in Restaurant Week at both locations, according to Stephen Fedorchak. Despite the snow and cold snap that accompanied the start of the event, Fedorchak says customers have been very receptive and supportive of Restaurant Week. “We’ve been really appreciative that the Falls Church community has been so resilient in the face of weather, bundling up and coming through the doors,” Fedorchak said, “that’s not taken for granted.” At Northside Social, usually a bustling destination for those primarily seeking a quick coffee and pastry and conversation, customers enjoy a 10 percent discount on their check upon mentioning Restaurant Week. As a result, Fedorchak says dinner service has picked up significantly during the event. At The Falls, nearly half of all customers have ordered one of their Restaurant Week specials. For lunch, customers can enjoy a $25 two-course meal starting with a choice between deviled eggs, chopped salad, or smoked brisket chili, followed by one of four hearty sandwich options and fries. For dinner, The Falls offers a three course meal for $39, including a choice between three appetizers, one of four entrees, finished with a bittersweet chocolate torte (with blood orange curd, crispy pistachios, and salted honey whipped cream).
At Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St.), Restaurant Week “so far has not been as vibrant as previous years,” says co-owner Dave Tax, though he says this could definitely be attributed to the wintry weather that accompanied the event’s start. Despite this, Tax, who with his sister Rebecca own both Clare and Don’s and Lazy Mike’s Delicatessen (7049 Leesburg Pike), says “Restaurant Week is a great way to get the community to come out” and allow participating eateries to showcase menu items. “I think generally the community responds positively to Restaurant Week specials, and the whole concept of Restaurant Week,” he continued. During Restaurant Week, Clare and Don’s customers can enjoy their choice of homemade soup, a blackened mahi sandwich with four fried shrimp, and a slice of key lime pie for just $24.24.
With 40 restaurants participating, this year’s Falls Church Restaurant Week features a diverse array of eateries that showcase The Little City’s eclectic culinary offerings. Check out the full list of participating locations at fallschurchrw.com, and be sure to take advantage of Restaurant Week specials by the event’s end on January 28.
