APPLETON (NBC 26) — This year’s Fox Cities Restaurant Week was in jeopardy until the valley’s restaurant scene stepped up.
- Fox Cities Restaurant Week was nearly canceled after the Fox Cities Visitor’s Bureau stepped back from organizing it
- Local restaurant owners, including Kimberly Finnell of Osorio’s Latin Fusion and Steve Lonsway of Stone Arch Brewpub, took charge to keep it going
- Restaurants are crafting three-course meals at special prices, with owners encouraging more eateries to join
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Kimberly Finnell co-owns Osorio’s Latin Fusion with her husband, Liborio.
She says they've owned it “since October 2012, so twelve-and-a-half years,” Finnell said.
In that time, the small restaurant has joined a vibrant community of other small restaurants around the area, partly through the annual Fox Cities Restaurant Week—a week that was close to not happening this year after the most recent organizer, the Fox Cities Visitor’s Bureau, stepped back from running it.
“I don’t, I don’t, I don’t know why no organizing entity wants to keep us, but I think the amount of work for the reward for the organizing entity is not really there,” Finnell commented.
So Finnell and other restaurants have taken matters into their hands.
“We got together with our friends Kim and Liborio from Osorio’s,” said Steve Lonsway, owner of Stone Arch Brewpub.
“And he’s like, ‘What do you think of getting this thing back and running? Because it’s not gonna happen if we don’t,’” Finnell recalled.
Together, the group has been working for months, building up their grassroots effort.
“What is the importance of having these restaurants?” I asked Lonsway at Stone Arch Brew Pub.
“Well, we can’t have a restaurant week without it!” Lonsway said, laughing.
Participating restaurants are asked to put together a three-course meal, with a main entrée, appetizer, and another item, for a special price. Restaurateurs are asked to reach out to Finnell or Lonsway on Facebook.
But time is running out to get involved.
“No one is policing the restaurants,” Finnell said. “You know, we’re just, like, ‘Hey, the sooner you have your menu up, the more attention you’re going to get, so it’s in your best interest.’”
Kimberly and Steve both reiterated they’re still looking for help from an organizer for next year and beyond. If you’re interested in great food for a great value, you can look up Fox Cities Restaurant Week on Facebook.
