Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington announced that for the first time in the 18 years of its biannual Restaurant Week promotion, it will officially extend Winter Restaurant Week through Sunday, January 27. The promotion has been extended to give diners in the region another week to take advantage of affordable, outstanding lunches, dinners and brunches, and in turn, to continue supporting the local restaurant community across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

Guests can visit http://www.RWDMV.com to peruse special offers from 182 restaurants that have elected to officially extend Restaurant Week, as well as view their menus and book reservations. Restaurant Week menus are priced at $35 for dinner and $22 for lunch and brunch, just as before.

RAMW’s decision to officially extend Restaurant Week comes in the midst of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has been impacting business at many metropolitan Washington restaurants. RAMW began considering the extension after hearing from restaurant operators reporting an average 20% decrease in business compared to this time in 2018, with some operators reporting decreases as high as 60 percent.

“Officially extending Restaurant Week is just one way the restaurant industry is showing support during the shutdown. The promotion is helping to lift spirits as it offers a dining deal to those impacted by the shutdown and as the Restaurant Week promotion drives traffic to restaurants who are experiencing a slow-down in business,” says RAMW President and CEO Kathy Hollinger. “We started Restaurant Week after the tragedies of 9/11 when people in our region were dining out less. Over time, Restaurant Week has grown to represent an affordable opportunity for guests to enjoy a great meal while helping stimulate our local economy. Now, during the longest federal government shutdown in our nation’s history, restaurants want to continue providing an opportunity for their guests to save, but also to promote dining out. In addition to Restaurant Week, many restaurants are also continuing to offer specials to furloughed employees.”