- April 24, 2024
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The first-annual Ormond Restaurant Week proved that you don’t have to go very far to find a good meal.
Though you’re met with a peaceful atmosphere when you first walk into Greektown Taverna, don’t be fooled. According to Owner and Chef George Dimitiakopoulos, the kitchen can only be described as one word: chaotic.
“We're all passionate back there,” he said of his 15-member kitchen staff. “Passion tends, not to stress you out, but make you a little more crazy. Passion brings out the best in me, and everyone we have back there with us is very passionate.”
Greektown Taverna is just one of the 10 local eateries that participated in the first annual Ormond Restaurant Week. Held Sept. 21-27, participants had fixed-priced lunch and dinner menus to give residents a little extra incentive to support their local businesses. Brittny Lowe, owner of the new marketing company Bloom Branding, said she had been a part of successful restaurant weeks in other, bigger cities, and wanted Ormond Beach to feel that same sense of community.
“Ormond Beach and Volusia County really needs that support for local business,” she said. “Places like Deland have that culture and union of local people, that feeling of belonging. I just started my own marketing company called Bloom, and we specialize in restaurants so I thought what better way to show people what I can do? I just kind of went for it.”
Owner and Operator of both Grind Gastropub and 31 Supper Club Kevin Wakefield said he and Lowe came up with the idea together after a discussion of how to foster a more tight-knit community.
“When people plan a big night out, they usually go to larger markets like Orlando and Jacksonville,” he said. “Sure, there are great restaurants there, but what about staying in the local area and checking out all the great restaurants here? There are so many that are not chain-style, and we just wanted to give the community a chance to experience it.”
Wakefield said the event was successful for his restaurant 31 Supper Club. They sold 250 Restaurant Week meals and were booked the whole week.
“I think 31 has a misconception that we’re incredibly high-priced,” he said. “So this really opened us up to people who maybe wouldn’t have tried us before.”
Dimitiakopoulos said he joined Restaurant Week because it’s not just his business that’s a part of the Ormond Beach community, but his family as well.
“We’re here,” he said. “We’ve lived in Ormond for 29 years, and we’re a part of this community. The money stays here; it doesn’t go elsewhere and it doesn’t get funneled. We buy our houses here, we buy our cars, our insurance, everything is here.”
Insta-foodie
As a part of the Ormond Restaurant Week promotion, participates could enter into an Photo Hunt on Instagram to win prizes by using the hashtag #OBRW. The following photos were featured in last week’s hunt:
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