Summerlicious and Winterlicious facts for kids
Toronto, Canada, hosts two exciting food festivals each year: Summerlicious and Winterlicious. These events invite people to try special meals at many restaurants across the city.
Winterlicious happens in the first two weeks of February. Summerlicious takes place at the start of July. These times are usually slower for restaurants. The festivals help bring in more customers.
During these events, many top restaurants offer special fixed-price menus. This means you pay one price for a full meal, often including an appetizer, main course, and dessert. The prices are usually lower than what you would pay normally. For example, in the past, lunches were priced at $23, $28, or $33. Dinners were $33, $43, or $53. Drinks and tips cost extra.
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How the Festivals Started
Boosting Toronto's Restaurants
The idea for these festivals began in 2003. Only 35 restaurants joined the first event. The goal was to help restaurants during quiet times of the year. It was also part of a bigger plan to help Toronto's tourism. This was after the SARS outbreak in 2003, which made fewer tourists visit the city.
The festivals quickly became very popular. They now happen twice a year. By 2009, about 150 restaurants were invited to take part in Winterlicious.
How Restaurants Participate
City's Role in Selection
The City of Toronto's special events department organizes these festivals. They choose which restaurants can join. Restaurants must follow certain rules to be picked.
Rules for Restaurants
- They must meet specific price standards for their menus.
- They need a clean health inspection record.
- They should have good reviews from well-known Toronto food guides.
- Large restaurant chains are not allowed to participate.
There is a lot of interest from restaurants to be part of Summerlicious and Winterlicious. Even though they offer discounted meals, participating restaurants often see three to four times more customers. This extra business helps them a lot.
Some restaurants that are not part of the official festival offer similar fixed-price meals. They use different names to avoid confusion with the city's official events.
Festival Experience and Impact
Recent History and Criticisms
The food festivals were paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. They started up again in the summer of 2022.
Even though many people attend, the festivals sometimes receive criticism. Some customers have complained about smaller food portions. Others mention that the quality of ingredients might be lower during the event. Restaurant workers sometimes feel overworked because of the large number of diners.
Despite these complaints, Summerlicious and Winterlicious remain very popular. They give restaurants a great chance to earn money during times that would otherwise be slow. For example, during Winterlicious 2009, over 180,000 meals were served. This brought in about $12 million for Toronto's economy.
