Palm Springs, and the broader Coachella Valley, has long attracted tourists — thanks, in part, to the area’s idyllic resorts and its 70-degree winters. But over the next week, the collective focus is all on food.
Greater Palm Springs Restaurant Week will return for its 15th year, beginning this Friday and running until June 11. Locals and visitors alike will be able to experience a “culinary tour” of the valley’s best eateries, and more than 80 restaurants will participate by offering custom breakfast, lunch or dinner menus for set prices.
Breakfast and lunch offers will include two or more items priced at $15, $25 or $35. Dinner menus include three or more items that cost $39, $49, $59 or $99. And don’t worry, there’s no need to purchase a pass or show any coupon. Simply dine out at a participating restaurant over the 10-day event and pick items from the set ‘Restaurant Week’ menu.
More than two dozen Palm Springs favorites will participate, including Lulu California Bistro, Grand Central, Workshop Kitchen + Bar, Spencer’s and Zin American Bistro.
Restaurant Week began as a grassroots effort between restaurants, said Davis Meyer, Senior Director of Community Engagement for Visit Greater Palm Springs. But the annual event has now evolved into an experience that attracts out-of-town visitors.
“It’s for locals and visitors to celebrate and discover local restaurants during June, when things start to get a little slower,” she said.
And the valley’s culinary stature has also grown. In 2022, some Coachella Valley restaurants were included in the Michelin Guide of recommended places to eat.
Locally, Restaurant Week is a boon for restaurant owners as well as diners.
“For the owners, it’s an opportunity to get in front of new customers,” Meyer said. “We hear from diners that they tried a restaurant they otherwise wouldn’t have during Restaurant Week. It becomes the impetus for people to gather with friends or on a date night to try something new.”
Since 2019, FIND Food Bank has benefited from Restaurant Week, too. For every reservation made at this link, $1 will be donated to the food bank. In 2019, they raised about $1,800, and last year diners raised roughly $3,600.
Meyer warns diners that reservations get booked quickly for popular spots, so be sure to grab one as soon as possible. “If possible, try to make a reservation even for lunch,” she said.
The incentives to visit local restaurants don’t stop once Restaurant Week comes to an end, however. Starting June 12, Visit GPS is launching the Summer Eats Pass: a free mobile pass that enters diners into weekly prize drawings.
“It’s about getting people out to support local small businesses as we head into the summer,” Meyer said. “It’s so important.”
