CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For the first time since the pandemic started, Queen's Feast, Charlotte's restaurant week, is back and business owners are hoping for a good turnout after a year of hardships.
The event runs through July 25. Chefs and cooks have been preparing for the dishes that'll offer up a taste of what their restaurant has to offer as a whole. That includes the staff at Bar Marcel in south Charlotte.
There are 42 restaurants participating in the week-long event and it stretches from several counties even outside of Charlotte.
PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
HOW TO DINE AT THESE RESTAURANTS
- Make advance reservations during dinner hours (only) or call ahead for seating at the restaurant(s) where you would like to dine, as indicated on the individual restaurant’s Charlotte Restaurant Week website page (either online or by telephone).
- Arrive at the restaurant on the date and time reserved, tell the host/hostess your name and reservation time and that you are there to partake in the Charlotte Restaurant Week menu.
- No passes, tickets, or restaurant coupons are required.
- If for any reason you are unable to make it to a restaurant for your reserved seating, please be courteous and call the restaurant as soon as possible in advance to cancel the reservation.
- Reservations/call-ahead are strongly recommended. Participating restaurants cannot guarantee walk-in seating during Charlotte Restaurant Week but will accommodate non-reserved guests if possible. If a restaurant has availability for the evening, walk-ins will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.
CHEFS AND COOKS READY
"It's a French, Spanish, and Italian-inspired restaurant," said Kevin Jennings, the co-owner of the boutique bar and restaurant.
After a rough year dealing with a shutdown, pivots to stay afloat, and a roaring comeback as employment lingered, Jennings is just thankful his restaurant is back to normal.
"Yeah, it was fairly awful," he said. "The old adage of, 'If you're not open, you can't do any sales.'"
Bar Marcel opened in 2019, just before the pandemic hit, and at times Jennings thought he'd lose the restaurant.
"Absolutely!" he exclaimed. "Most of COVID was that situation, you know."
It's why he and other restaurants participating in Queen's Feast are hopeful the community around them comes out to support them.
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