Restaurants join Sizzle Dining’s expanded September event

The 10-year anniversary of Sizzle Dining means more local restaurants, more value-driven menus and an extended period to dine out during the Sept. 1 to 30 fundraising promotion.

Sizzle’s dates are easier to remember this year because it runs the entire month of September for the first time.

“I think this is the best menu year that we’ve had,” Sizzle Dining founder Guy Clarke said. “I’ve been very impressed. I think the restaurants have really put some effort into some good menus this year.”

The Sizzle Dining event in Collier and Lee counties is similar to “restaurant week” promotions in other areas. Participating restaurants, extending from Cape Coral to Marco Island, offer multi-course meals on special Sizzle Dining prix-fixe menus discounted from regular menu prices. All of the special menus can be seen at sizzledining.org.

Sizzle Dining restaurants donate $1 from every meal sold during the dine-with-purpose fundraiser to the Southwest Florida chapter of Blessings in a Backpack, a nonprofit organization that helps feed schoolchildren in need. One dollar from every lunch or dinner goes directly to provide snacks to local school children who often don’t get enough to eat over the weekends.

Even in its 10th year, Sizzle Dining continues to grow and make changes to improve the value for participants. 

“Save, support and celebrate” is this year’s theme, with a goal to add more value and create the best deals and savings for diners.

One thing that’s different this year is the prix-fixe price range, which can be anywhere from $18 to $69 per meal. 

“The restaurants picked any price that they wanted. They just had to be 25% to 30% off their regular menu price,” Clarke said. “So, you’re going to see some restaurants being $32, some restaurants are $39, some restaurants are $42, I do have a couple that are into the $50s and $60s, but they are still a discount off the regular menu price. We really did our best to ensure that this was really a savings.”

Sizzle Dining has always been designed to help fill seats at restaurants struggling during the annual slump between seasons, but more of an effort was made this year to help diners facing their own economic issues.

“This year, I think the consumer needs as much help,” Clarke said. “That’s why it’s so important to provide discounted savings to make it worth it for the consumer this year. The consumer needs it right now. The economy is so tight.”

Clarke knew by viewing critical comments from diners at other restaurant weeks in Florida cities such as Miami, Orlando and Jacksonville that the Southwest Florida event had to be a deal to stand out from many three-course summer specials. 

“For Sizzle, we worked with the restaurants to really put forward the best deal of the year,” he said. “That way, it’s worth going out. That’s what’s going to make Sizzle stand out and be different from everything.”

The 138 participating restaurants broke another record again this year.

“Last year was 126; this year 138,” Clarke said. “Out of those, 81 of them are in Collier County; 57 of them are in Lee County, which is a great number for me. Forty-six of them are first-timers; 20 of them are in Collier and 26 of them are in Lee. That’s good growth for us. We’ve got a lot of good restaurants on for the first time.”

In Collier, those include Ce Soir, Clay Pot, Heyday Cookshop, Lavender Cafe and La Saliére in Naples; and The Brooklyn Trattoria, Irish Times, The Supper Club and Tigress in North Naples. In Bonita, newcomers include Bonito Bistro, Coconut Jack’s, Doug’s Seafood, Leoni’s Pizza and Petar’s. Also this year, Grappino in Naples and Waffle Monkey in Bonita Springs are both doing breakfast, something else new for Sizzle.

Diners are encouraged to try new restaurants, as well as take advantage of the Sizzle savings at their tried-and-true dining spots.

“They seem to go to their most favorite places first — the places that they love. It’s a deal and they know it. They know what they’re getting. They know the ambiance. So, they go to those places,” Clarke said. “But, then we see a lot of experimenting. Every single year, the best thing I love to hear is when they loved and had a good time at a place they had not been to before.”

Because it’s Sizzle Dining’s 10th year, Clarke has an ambitious goal: He hopes to be able to present Blessing in a Backpack with a check for $100,000 this year, which means 100,000 Sizzle meals would need to be served. So, the event needs greater participation from diners for lunch or dinner.

“My one call to action, my one request would be if everybody could just go out one extra time,” Clarke said. “We’re trying to help the kids. We’re trying to help the restaurants. We’re trying to beat this 100,000 number. If everybody could just go out one extra time — find a place that you’ve never been to — go one extra time. If 30,000 people did that, we’d have 30,000 extra dinners sold and dollars for the kids. The restaurants would feel it. The kids would feel it. We’d hit our 100,000 number.”