Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read October 2022— Philadelphia’s restaurants are making their comeback. Local events, city-wide promotions, and delicious food are all part of the reason why.
With the pandemic increasingly confined to memory, Philadelphia’s restaurant ecosystem is making its comeback. According to the 2019 Good Eats Economy League report, prior to the pandemic, there were 79,000 food-related jobs throughout the region, representing 12% of all jobs and 6,500 food-related businesses comprising 18% of all firms. Hopeful signs began to show toward the end of 2020 however, with another Econsult Solutions report released toward the end of 2020 showing that consumer spending had already exceeded the early 2020 baseline by 6.7%. Events throughout the City of Philadelphia are now helping to catalyze further growth and continue the sector’s recovery.
Last month, Philadelphia’s Center City saw the conclusion of Restaurant week, providing fixed prices for a three course meal. Featuring 70 participating restaurants, the event brought in needed customers and revenue. When asked by university news outlet Temple Update, Assistant manager of Con Murphy’s Irish Pub, Chelsea Hartsough, said “It’s good to get those extra people in here at a time that otherwise maybe wouldn’t be a very crowded evening.” Demonstrating how the city is looking to further bolster foot traffic throughout its restaurants and cultural sites, the dinner and a show promotion, which began with Philadelphia Restaurant Week, can be redeemed up until Dec. 31, with Michelle Shannon, vice president of marketing and communications for Center City District saying, “We’re trying to capitalize on the things that attract people to Center City, arts and culture is a big one.”
While Restaurant Week bolstered restaurant numbers over the course of the last month, October will see similar events at various locations throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Over the course of the upcoming weekend between Oct. 21 – 22, Valley Forge Casino Resort will host the Philadelphia TASTE! 2022 annual festival. Tickets for the three sessions cost $95 and feature a number of celebrity chefs and personalities, including Philadelphia natives Chef Kevin Cooper, winner of Food Network’s Guys Chance of a Lifetime, as well as Hell’s Kitchen chefs Barret Beyer and Christine Hazel, who was also a champion on Chopped, and Staci Azzinaro, alongside other leading chefs. Actor Kurt Russell, also in attendance, will be showcasing his GoGi Wines at the event and exemplifying Philadelphian’s demand for food and entertainment, tickets to Russell’s exhibit have already sold out.
Following the TASTE! Festival, the sixth annual Philadelphia Cider Week begins the following Monday and runs until Oct. 30. Organized by local enthusiasts Amy Hartranft and Tim Kweeder, the event provides local businesses and cider enthusiasts across the city the opportunity to eat and drink, providing a boon to local restaurants. While it costs vendors $25 to participate, the event provides an educational opportunity for both attendees and vendors to expand their knowledge on cider while also boosting sales. 25 restaurants, bars, and similar venues are participating and hosting events throughout the week, ending with a Carnival of Thirsty Souls at 7th Street between South and Bainbridge.
With efforts underway to bolster the recovery of Philadelphia’s food and beverage industry, restaurants will continue to see improving numbers. City Center’s September recovery update noted, “The gap between core and extended Center City restaurant recovery narrowed in the second quarter of 2022 as rebounding tourism and returning office workers increased sales within the core. In Q2 2022, retail sales tax collections reached 95% of the pre-pandemic level in core Center City, 122% in extended Center City, and 115% citywide.” Other positive signs, such as the American Hotels and Lodging October bookings report, shows that leisure travel in Philadelphia has largely returned, with only a 0.7% deficit remaining before full leisure travel recovery.
With hundreds of restaurants and events helping bring people together over the dining table or grabbing a bite after a late night showing, it would seem imminent that the industry will make a full recovery in the short term.
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