TOLEDO, Ohio — The first day of Restaurant Week Toledo is in the books and local spots are offering special menu items and deals to bring in new customers and support community nonprofit Leadership Toledo.
"It's definitely a cool event that we love taking part in every year," Deet's BBQ owner Trevor Deeter said.
Leadership Toledo helps develop adults and high schoolers to become leaders.
"It's a good time for us because I really believe in Leadership Toledo," Whitehouse Inn owner Tony Fronk said. "I think the organization is phenomenal for these kids to learn business."
As restaurants have dealt with staffing shortages and supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent health and safety restrictions over the past few years, those adaptable have learned to thrive amid the hardships.
"COVID and everything that's happened over the past two, three years has trained us to adapt and overcome it," Deeter said. "We've made adjustments to our menu. We've made adjustments to staffing levels within the restaurant."
Deet's BBQ is primarily known as a takeout and food truck franchise and Deeter he's kept the menu small, which makes it easier to train workers. The restaurant is also closed one day a week.
Meanwhile, restaurants are paying workers more money. Add in the rising cost of inflation, and restaurant margins are smaller than they were pre-COVID.
"You have to pay these people different wages than we did two, three, four years ago," Fronk said. "We already started with small margins, now the margins are just a little bit smaller."
Sit-down restaurants like the Whitehouse Inn have dealt with the rising costs of ingredients and labor, but the Fronk said business is doing just as good as usual.
"Restaurant Week Toledo for us is a great thing," Fronk said. "People from Toledo ... drive through the country a little bit to this great village out here and support us, and we really appreciate it."
Restaurant Week Toledo runs through Sunday, March 5.