MOLINE, Illinois — QC Restaurant Week is back for the second time this year, as tourism agency Visit Quad Cities looks to support local businesses struggling due to the pandemic.
At The Little Brown Box Delicatessen, the lunch rush is a little quieter lately.
"We're downtown moline. It's a business district down here, and people aren't really back to work yet, so we're seeing a smaller filtering of people," Owner Rebecca Burns says.
Burns opened the deli just two months ago, next to her shop The Shameless Chocoholic.
"It's been exciting and scary, because you just don't know what's coming, especially with the election and everything else going on," she says.
To try and get more people in the door, the deli is part of this fall's QC Restaurant Week.
"Well small businesses are struggling so much right now," Burns says. "It really does encourage people to go in and participate and help keep them afloat. Every person that participates helps keep that business in business."
This is the first time Visit Quad Cities is hosting the event twice in one year, for two weeks instead of just one. And this time around, the tourism agency is making the event free of charge for restaurants.
"We're hoping Quad Citizens go out there and get connected," Visit Quad Cities President & CEO "We're gonna absorb this cost and help promote them and tell their story."
To be a part of the contest, visit any of the 50-plus restaurants participating in the event, take a photo of your receipt or a selfie with your meal and submit it online for a chance to win free gift cards to these local businesses.
Theo's Java Club Cafe in Rock Island is also participating in QC Restaurant Week. Now, restrictions limiting the number of customers inside is really eating into the bottom line. And soon, they'll lose even more tables as colder temperatures set in.
"Without 100 percent capacity, its a different atmosphere," Owner Theo Grevas says. "There's a little worry about the colder weather and that our outdoor seating wont be available and people being unsure about coming inside.
For a full list of participating restaurants through October 24th, visit the QC Restaurant Week website.