Howard County Restaurant and Craft Beverage Weeks will return Monday, with two weeks full of specialty menu items and deals at local establishments, through Feb. 2. Visit Howard County said 42 restaurants have registered to participate so far.

“These businesses are not just places to dine, or grab a drink, or celebrate a Ravens or Commanders win, they are the cornerstones of our county and bring people together while supporting the unique sense of community we all cherish,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said during a Monday news conference announcing the event.

While visiting restaurants, customers can win gift certificates to participating restaurants through a partnership between iHeart Radio and Visit Howard County.

Visit Howard County decided to adopt restaurant weeks in 2008, imitating a similar event held in New York during which restaurants offer fixed-price menus, according to Executive Director Amanda Hof. About eight restaurants participated the first year, and the event grew to a record 57 last summer, Hof said.

Now, the event is held twice per year, and is more about the experience than getting a good deal, Hof said. Some participating restaurants offer deals and prix fixe menus and others offer special menus and exclusive items. The events are held once during the summer when business is slow due to summer vacations, and once during the winter, when traffic is down after the holidays.

For Zach Hoke, general manager of Black Flag Social House, restaurant weeks means chef Jonathan Hicks can be more creative in the kitchen, enhancing the restaurant’s usual style of upscale bar food. Hicks, a finalist for 2025 Maryland executive chef of the year, will debut a mac and cheese steak burger and a chicken and waffles sandwich featuring a “24-karat gold sauce,” Hoke said.

“If you’re new, people are going to try you, and you get that one shot at first impression, and then you have to kind of keep elevating and keep going. And with all the options, you have to give people a reason to choose you,” Hoke said.

“So I think this is a really good way for us and for any business to kind of show what they can do and find a larger customer base.”

Black Flag Social House opened in Marriottsville almost one year ago and participated for one week in last summer’s restaurants weeks, Hoke said. During that week, Hoke said, the restaurant saw a 35% increase in total sales.

Co-owner Tricia Hudson said at the news conference that welcoming people to Hudson Coastal Raw Bar and Grille through successful restaurant weeks since the restaurant opened in 2016 has helped the family business thrive. It is a great time for people to try new foods, and then come back for more, she said.

There are plenty of dishes to try during the two weeks throughout the county. A full list of participating restaurants and menus can be found at https://www.visithowardcounty.com/howard-county-restaurant-weeks/restaurants-menus.

“What excites me is seeing all the restaurants sign up to participate, and just the overall excitement, like the response from the community and consumers, they just get so excited,” Hof said.

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