Restaurant week 2021 kicks off

Guyana restaurant week kick – started on Friday with a variety of mouthwatering dishes to
satisfy the taste buds of patrons on a budget.

This year’s Restaurant week is being celebrated under the theme “Eat, Explore Repeat,” and is
scheduled to last from November 12 to 21. A recent media visit to the Herdmanston Lodge Hotel
at Anira Street, Georgetown, on Friday, saw the restaurant buzzing with activity. It was noticed
that several patrons grabbed the opportunity to dine at a significantly reduced cost.
The restaurant noted that their lunch menu featured two options of appetisers, four main dishes
and two light desserts. Trevor Smith, marketing coordinator of the hotel pointed out that the
history of the restaurant is what makes it special and sets it apart from other places. He said there
is a great line up of delicacies on the menu for this week. “So, it is always our hope and our drive
to keep that level, a level of service. So, the history ties in with our business and that is what we
always try to bring to the Guyanese public and those who are visiting us…So for example, this
week I checked the menu, we have a really excellent menu both lunch and dinner,” Smith
explained.
The Herdmanston Lodge official noted that restaurant week provides the opportunity to promote
the services of the restaurant. “For us, it really gives us an opportunity to boost our restaurant
because at Herdmanston Lodge, for some reason or the other a lot of persons thought it was a
very elitist kind of space where only certain kinds of persons or meetings are held. So, it gives us
an opportunity to really push our restaurant,” Smith declared.
Restaurant and Event Supervisor, Damon Crandian said that detailed preparation was necessary
to cater to the needs of customers. He expressed satisfaction with the responses of the persons so
far. “So, we want to produce excellent and fast service… I’m already satisfied, the restaurant was
full today, so I’m happy to see many more faces. You know the pandemic come and we’re still in
the pandemic but not so bad, so I’m happy to see the restaurant full today,” Crandian said.
At the launch of restaurant week on Thursday at the Hard Rock Café, MovieTowne, Tourism,
Industry and Commerce Minister, Oneidge Walrond said that culinary experiences play an
important role in the country’s tourism product. Walrond stressed that tourism is currently the
third largest export earner outside of oil and gas and gold production sectors. She said that this
means that it is a sustainable way in which Guyana could continue to earn income even after oil
and gas is gone. “The culinary experience, that dining experience adds to the hospitality and adds
to the value of this destination Guyana that we are promoting. So, don’t think that your
restaurants, your establishments don’t add value and that it does not matter. When people come
away from your restaurant they must come away with a positive experience” minister Walrond
said. It was revealed that the Herdmanston Lodge is one of 22 participating restaurants in
restaurant week, which provides a platform for culinary tourism where patrons can eat, explore
and repeat.