Yakima Valley Restaurant Week

Yakima Restaurants,

I wanted to share an update regarding Restaurant Week and be transparent about where things stand this year.

Due to limited staffing and a lack of active committee leadership, we will not be hosting Restaurant Week this year. With just two full-time staff members, we simply don’t have the capacity to promote the event at the level it deserves or to do the extensive outreach, menu collection, and follow-up required to support all of our participating restaurateurs well.

That said—this is not the end of Restaurant Week. It’s a pause with purpose.

We believe this program has real potential to be bigger, better, and more impactful, and we’d love to help revamp it with the right structure in place. Our hope is to form a committee made up of individuals from our local restaurant community who share an interest in growing and strengthening this event. The Chamber would continue to host, promote, and manage registrations, but we would need committed partners to help lead the effort—particularly with menu coordination and participant follow-up.

We truly want this to be a win for both our restaurants and our patrons, and we know the best ideas often come from those closest to the work. I would sincerely welcome your thoughts, ideas, and interest as we explore the best path forward. We are more than happy to facilitate—but we will need several willing partners to step up and help pull it all together.

Thank you for your understanding, your continued support, and all that you do for our local dining community. I look forward to the conversation.

Warm regards,

Kristi K. Foster
President/CEO
Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce