MARQUETTE — Foodies rejoice! Marquette Restaurant Week is coming up, and some of your downtown favorites are hard at work preparing.

Sixteen restaurants are participating this year. Most will be offering a $10 lunch special and a $25 dinner deal that serves two. But, that doesn’t mean the menus will be same-ole, same-ole.

“The restaurant owners get very creative with the different dishes that they offer. Its a way for them to experiment, maybe try out some new things that they were thinking about adding to the menu, or just play around and have fun with their menu,” said Tara Laase-McKinney, the Events and Promotions Coordinator for the Downtown Development Authority.

While the event gives restaurants the chance to try new dishes, it also gives them tons of exposure. Restaurant Week is a well-loved tradition in Marquette, and hungry patrons turn out in droves. For new businesses, like the Steinhaus, this kind of publicity can be vital.

“When we had a chance to get on board and be part of it, it took us to the next level. We had all sorts of different customers coming in and just the buzz around Marquette is just exhilarating because everyone wants to be involved with food, you get foodies coming out and everybody wants to try something that all the restaurants are offering,” said Alex Kofsky, a Managing Partner at the Steinhaus.

Restaurant Week runs from March 8th through the 14th and is sponsored by the Eastside Originals Restaurant Association. For a full list of participating restaurants, follow this link.