For a while now, I’ve been thinking that it’s a great time to be an eater in the Fort Wayne area. 

During the past 10-15 years, a treasure trove of restaurants have opened to really up the food game around here. They have embraced different cuisines, locally sourced ingredients, and creative menus. However, it can be tricky for diners to balance resources: time, money, supporting existing favorites, and checking out ever-evolving new options. 

Fortunately for us, Visit Fort Wayne is here to save the day … or is that savor the day? 

That’s right, kids, it’s time again for Savor Fort Wayne Restaurant Week, a dozen delicious days of dining (with an accompaniment of alliteration). A collaboration between Visit Fort Wayne and the restaurant community. This year’s event will be Jan. 17-28, which includes two weekends for maximum enjoyment opportunities. 

Something for everyone

What is Savor Fort Wayne? I’m so glad you asked! 

Participating restaurants, of which there are about 90 as of press time, offer specially crafted three-course fixed price menus. For many restaurants it’s a traditional starter, entree, and dessert — a chance to revel in a more extravagant dinner than some of us may partake on a regular basis. But there’s a lot of ingenuity in some of the menu structures, for example, brewpubs are offering beer pairings as part of their menus.

There are restaurants to appeal to all audiences, from casual neighborhood joints to upscale fine-dining experiences. Family friendly options abound. 

Some offer carryout; some are dine-in only. Some are dinner only; others have lunch menus and breakfast offerings. Choices include pizza, sushi, Vietnamese, Thai, tacos, steakhouses, barbecue, Italian, seafood, ice cream, chocolate, and on and on. 

Wait … what were those last two? That’s right, all kinds of eating establishments are invited to participate, as long as they can dream up a three-course menu. Oh Five Scoop Shop will offer three options, two wedge sundaes, two parfaits, or one of their sampler flights. I’m confident my ice cream-loving boyfriend is going to want to check it out. Kilwins is offering a huge sampling of treats including cookies, fudge, and caramel corn. 

Boost for local restaurants

I had a chat with Kristen Guthrie, vice president of marketing at Visit Fort Wayne, to learn about how Savor Fort Wayne came to be. 

She explained that while most of the work Visit Fort Wayne does is to market our community to the outside world, they have two events for local residents. Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown was started 25 years ago to promote local tourism. 

Savor Fort Wayne was launched 13 years ago to celebrate and support our flourishing restaurant scene. Fewer than 20 establishments participated in the first year, with nearly five times that many now. Some have been involved since year one, including The Oyster Bar, Mad Anthony Brewing Company, and the Don Hall’s family of restaurants. 

Guthrie said Visit Fort Wayne does market Savor to the outside world, with some local hotels offering special deals. And there is no shortage of events going on during that time frame — she encouraged everyone, local or visitor, to make a night of it, with a fun meal before taking in a Komets game or enjoying some live music. 

After gathering input from the restaurant community, Savor has historically been held in January, as business is slower following the holidays. This year, it’s pushed back a week, providing a little more of a break from holiday mayhem but before people have lost track of where they put their gift cards. 

Visit Fort Wayne makes it easy to scout out options and formulate a plan, with frequently updated information at visitfortwayne.com/savor. There, you can see the complete list of participating restaurants, along with their menus, prices, locations, and additional details. 

Another nifty feature is that the website has a page where the restaurants are sorted by region: Downtown, Union Street Market at Electric Works, Southwest, Jefferson Pointe, Northwest, Coliseum, Northeast, Southeast, and Leo-Cedarville/Grabill/New Haven. You can literally get out of your comfort zone by finding an eatery to try that’s in a different region from where you live or work. 

Going in with a plan

I asked Guthrie what her strategy is for this year’s event. She didn’t have the details nailed down, but her main objectives were to try something new, hit a family favorite, and have at least one lunch at Union Street Market. The latter is a solid idea for anyone eating with friends or family where you have different likes and dislikes, with 10 participating food vendors there offering something for every palate. I may have to add that to my own list — there’s at least one on the list I haven’t gotten to try yet. 

As for me, I’m always torn between going to a known favorite versus trying something new, so I’ll aim for one of each. I like to include a splurge, too, going somewhere I maybe wouldn’t or couldn’t shell out the bucks for without the specially priced menu. Hmm, and maybe someplace I used to go, but haven’t been to in ages. 

I can’t wait until all the menus are posted. That’s when the real deliberations begin! 

Whatever your Savor Fort Wayne strategy is, consider making reservations to make sure you don’t get shut out. And don’t be shy asking for the Savor menu if it’s not readily presented when you’re seated. 

Also, don’t forget to savor the moment — see what I did there? Dads don’t own bad jokes.