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Waterfront Restaurant_RW24 image_fish tacos  Food  Try These Delicious Lake Geneva Seafood Restaurants

 

LAKE GENEVA RESTAURANT WEEK
Participating Restaurant Resources

VISIT Lake Geneva is proud to invite you to participate in the annual Lake Geneva Restaurant Week. As always, Restaurant Week is designed to celebrate our area’s unique and diverse culinary scene and position the Lake Geneva region as a premier dining destination.  Restaurant Week will entice visitors and locals alike to explore new restaurants, take advantage of special menus at their favorite dining spots, and support small businesses in our community. 

Lake Geneva Restaurant Week 2025 runs Saturday, April 19 to Sunday, April 27, 2025

 

WHY PARTIPICATE?

  • Your restaurant will be promoted in a dedicated marketing campaign reaching tens of thousands of consumers through targeted social media campaigns, digital advertising, web and email marketing, radio advertising, media outreach and other promotional efforts.

  • You’ll increase traffic to your restaurant during a typically slower shoulder season.

  • You’ll have the opportunity to gain new customers as well as thank loyal regulars with your special Restaurant Week menu offerings.

  • You can take advantage of exclusive offers and promotional opportunities from partner distributors and sponsors.

  • It’s a minimum investment for maximum return. There is no fee to participate; only a donation of restaurant gift cards to be used in promotional giveaways.  

  • You’ll play a part in bringing awareness to local charities through the annual Restaurant Week Charity Check program.​
     

HOW DO YOU PARTICIPATE?

  • Offer exclusive Restaurant Week menu specials for Breakfast, Lunch, and/or Dinner April 19-27 that provide visitors with distinctive value.

  • Follow the three steps below to register your business and submit your menus.
     

IMPORTANT STEPS FOR PARTICIPATION

#1 | REGISTRATION
Deadline: Monday, March 10, 2025
Register here: Restaurant Registration

Participation in Lake Geneva Restaurant Week is open to VISIT Lake Geneva Partner restaurants serving Breakfast, Lunch and/or Dinner. Registration is required to ensure we have all pertinent information about your restaurant for promotional purposes, and to aid in communication with you. The online registration process (link above) takes approximately 4 minutes and will request:

  1. Primary contact person for your restaurant.
  2. Restaurant details including address/phone/website and if you accept reservations.
  3. Which meal(s) you anticipate offering during Restaurant Week (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner).
  4. Your current logo.
  5. A photo for marketing and promotional use (optional).


Once registered, we’ll immediately begin promoting your restaurant on the Restaurant Week website. Please note that our primary method of communication will be email, so be sure to watch your Inbox for news, requests, and other timely information about Restaurant Week.

#2 | MENU SUBMISSION
Deadline: Monday, March 31, 2025
Submission Instructions:  Submit your Restaurant Week menu details via email to: brie@visitlakegeneva.com in an unformatted Word file or within the body of the email.

When developing your Restaurant Week menus, we recommend considering options, variety, creativity, and value to provide guests with the best impression of what they’ll experience at your restaurant. Menus should be unique and exclusive to Restaurant Week and not typically offered outside of the event dates. Kid’s menus are also welcome. Please be sure to include as much detail as possible for each menu package, including:

  1. Description of each item included in the menu special, including appetizers, entrees, sides, desserts and/or drinks that you choose to include in your offering.
  2. Price for each menu special. Note if for more than one person (e.g. dinner for two, or family-style serving). Please provide a comparable retail price to show the value of your offer
    (e.g., $25 ($30 value)).
  3. Add-ons or other options to modify the special (e.g. add a signature cocktail for $9)


PLEASE NOTE: 

  • We are no longer setting uniform prices for Restaurant Week menus. Restaurants may price their respective Restaurant Week menus as they feel appropriate.
  • If you’d like to refer to your 2024 Restaurant Week offers, click HERE


Menus will be formatted in a LGRW-branded template and include your restaurant’s logo, address, phone and web address. Menus will be posted on the LGRW website and included in an online Menu Guide publication. We will provide you with a high-resolution PDF for printing.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS:

  • Be creative and descriptive with your menu items. This might be a diner’s first experience with your restaurant.
  • Use this week as an opportunity to test out new menu items!
  • Make sure to present all diners with the LGRW menu(s) along with your regular menu
  • Please consider pausing daily specials during the promotional period (Apr. 19 – 27, 2025) so customers gravitate toward the LGRW menu
  • Consider offering customers multiple options for each course offered on your LGRW menu specials
  • Consider adding value options (wine pairings, specialty cocktails, etc.) 
  • LGRW menu offerings must be a good value to entice diners to choose those options
#3 | GIFT CARD DONATION
Deadline: Monday, March 31, 2025
Mail or deliver to: VISIT Lake Geneva | Attn: Restaurant Week | 527 Center Street (office) or 201 Wrigley Dr. (Visitor Center), Lake Geneva, WI 53147

VISIT Lake Geneva does not charge a fee to part participate in Restaurant Week. Rather, we ask for a donation of $50 in restaurant gift cards/certificates which will be used for promotional giveaways as part of the Restaurant Week marketing campaign. We ask that you mail or deliver your gift cards/certificates to one of our two offices noted above by March 31. Gift cards/certificates may be in your choice of denomination of either two $25 gift cards or one $50 gift card.

MORE TO KNOW . . .

Promotional Toolkit

VISIT Lake Geneva will provide you with Restaurant Week logos and graphics to use on your website, social media pages and/or emails. We’ll also reach out to invite you to submit content such as photos, videos, chef profiles, recipes, and other material to further promote Restaurant Week and your restaurant.

Marketing Strategy Tips And Tricks

Use the below tips and tricks to help you leverage your participation in Lake Geneva Restaurant Week and further amplify your message.

  • Website: The first place you can start promoting LGRW is on your restaurant’s website. Creating banners, widgets, or callouts on your site’s homepage that link to the LGRW restaurant listings will provide patrons the ability to view your restaurant’s menu(s) and reserve their table on the spot. Additionally, if your organization has a blog, it would be wise to highlight your upcoming LGRW menu(s) to provide a highly descriptive, visual experience before dining in your restaurant.
  • Social media: Using the power of tools such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, there are numerous ways to achieve visibility and recognition.
  • Email: Sending out personalized correspondences to your database increases the likelihood they will engage and book reservations. For instance, consider sending out pre-LGRW reminders starting a few weeks before the event to encourage early reservations and create a sense of excitement and anticipation.
  • Print collateral: To create a more inclusive dining experience for LGRW diners, make sure to present all diners with your LGRW menu(s) along with the regular menu. VISIT Lake Geneva will produce and deliver signage for the front of your restaurant to increase pre-event awareness for customers.
  • Word of mouth: Whether it is regular restaurant patrons or even your own staff, one of the strongest methods to promote your inclusion in LGRW is through the power of personal referrals. We recommend educating your restaurant team (including marketing/PR, servers, staff, hosts, etc.) on the LGRW program details so they’re prepared to answer any questions diners may have. Additionally, you could reward staff for excellent service through incentives to keep them inspired and motivated during the LGRW promotion.


Charity Check Program

The Charity Check will continue to be a feature of Restaurant Week 2025. Local non-profit organizations will be invited to be in the running to receive a portion of $10,000 in cash donations courtesy of this year’s Charity Check sponsor, Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Charities will be featured on the Restaurant Week website and guests vote by ballot in restaurants.

Server Charity Check Contest and Staff Appreciation Drawing

We will be recognizing employees who have helped contribute to the success of Restaurant Week 2025. Once again donations by VISIT Lake Geneva partners and sponsors will be offered as prizes.

Staff Training

To ensure the best possible guest experience during Restaurant Week, it’s imperative that all restaurant staff are adequately trained and prepared for the event. This includes being familiar with your RW menus, providing RW menu copies to guests, and being aware of the Charity Check program. We encourage managers to regularly communicate details about Restaurant Week prior to the event start. More details to come via email on your RW menus, signage, and Charity Check Ballot delivery.

Questions?

The VISIT Lake Geneva team is available to answer any questions you have about participating in Lake Geneva Restaurant Week 2025.  Feel free to contact us by phone or email at any time. We are also happy to meet in person to discuss your participation. Please let us know how we may help you!

Restaurant Week contact: Brie Pacey, Events Manager at brie@visitlakegeneva.com or (262) 812-0023.