Restaurant Week looks to boost local business for restaurateurs

Restaurant owners in in Southwest Florida are in need of staff to help run their businesses, as snowbird season picks up. Especially in Naples, business owners are looking to increase staff size to support customers during season.

That’s where the partnership between restaurant companies and Sizzle SWFL Restaurant Week comes in, 14 days at 55 popular restaurants in the area from Cape Coral to Marco Island until Wednesday, Dec. 12

“It bridges the gap,” Upchurch said. “One dollar from every meal toward the FGCU Food and Beverage Scholarship. The goal is to raise tuition dollars for one student’s entry into the program.”

This will hopefully help them break into the restaurant industry.

“It will impact one,” Upchurch said. “Then, it becomes contagious. Then, the industry is no longer saying, ‘We have a talent shortage can you help out?’”

Eddie Thomas, director of food and beverage at Naples Grande Beach Resort, said often you hear the saying, “too many cooks in the kitchen.” Here, that is not the case. There are not enough.

“There’s a lot of restaurants in town,” Thomas said. “And there’s so many people here at given times, that you have to have the staff up, or you’re not going to be able to keep up with demand.” 

Thomas said the increase in snowbirds has been gradual, but the demand is real now.

“It’s something that has progressed over the years,” Thomas said. “Naples, usually you shut down in April and open up in November again. That’s really not the case anymore. It’s a year round thing, and you have to staff year round.”

Thomas said many restaurants are stretched thin, so the restaurant week will hopefully boost the local businesses.

“It’s a perfect formula for success,” said FGCU’s Randy Upchurch.

For more information about the scholarship, visit the event website.