TAMPA, Fla — You might want to leave your stretchy pants on after Thanksgiving because, starting a little more than a week later, the Business Connect program will host a one-of-a-kind restaurant week.
It's called "Road to Gameday” Restaurant Week and will kick off the first week of December as a way to celebrate the upcoming Super Bowl LV.
More than 40 diverse-owned restaurants in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties will take part in the Super Bowl celebration from Dec. 4 through Dec. 13.
Each participating restaurant will have a special pre-fixed menu in addition to the normal menu for people to choose from.
“The Business Connect program is proud to announce the addition of ‘Road to Gameday’ Restaurant Week as a new event for Super Bowl LV,” said B.J. Waymer of NFL Business Connect. “The last seven months have challenged many independent business owners. Restaurant Week creates an opportunity for us to recognize the talents of local, diverse restaurateurs in Tampa and shine a spotlight on them that will direct additional traffic to their businesses.”
In order for restaurants to participate, they have to be 51 percent women, minority, veteran, or LGBTQ+ owned and in Pinellas, Pasco or Hillsborough counties.
Restaurants and small businesses were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizers are hoping this can help give a boost to some of those places in the Tampa Bay community.
“We know local, diverse-owned restaurants have struggled this year, and our team wants to be part of the solution to help get them back on their feet,” said LaKendria Robinson, director of Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Business Connect and Community Outreach. “We hope by leveraging our Host Committee brand and the NFL’s Business Connect program, we can increase exposure and drive business to the 40 participating restaurants. We couldn’t be more excited!”
Plus, part of the proceeds will be donated to Feeding Tampa Bay to help support the fight against hunger in the community.
A list of participating restaurants can be found here.
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