The Kingston Restaurant Week is a welcome change in the Jamaican food service industry and earlier this month saw the hosting of the second annual event in New Kingston. An event similar to the Toronto, Canada's seasonal Summerlicious and Winterlicious to help an industry comeback after the 2003 SARS epidemic is good for the local businesses.
Held from November 12-19, the festival saw over 20 of the city's finest restaurants providing an a la carte menu for 50 to 70 per cent of standard pricing to accommodate patrons who perhaps would not normally consider dining out. At the inaugural launch in October 2005, event manager Stephanie Scott acknowledged that Jamaicans do not eat out as much as people in other parts of the world however, that there has been a gradual cultural shift in that trend and Kingston Restaurant Week is all about promoting this new trend in dining. The Jamaica Tourist Board, in support of the event, sees potential spin-offs for the tourism industry and capital city Kingston as a whole.
This is long overdue for Jamaica and will be good if it continues. Eating out is in!
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