By Hayley Fedor
Besides the accolades that come with hosting the most anticipated football game of the season, Super Bowl LV also brought some significant perks to the business side of the Tampa Bay area in the recent months. The Super Bowl LV Host Committee decided to create the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week with the intent of facilitating growth for local businesses.
From December 4 through December 13 in 2020, the event drew NFL fans and followers to local restaurants in order to give businesses the opportunity to receive recognition by the community. The committee also formed a partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay that allowed for $1 from each Road to Gameday dinner sold to be donated to the charity.
With the help of the Riverview Chamber of Commerce, multiple restaurants in the Riverview area were able to connect with the Super Bowl LV Host Committee and, as a result, participate in the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week.
Local restaurant Donovan’s Modern American Meatery, located in in Winthrop Town Centre, participated in the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week. For the Restaurant Week, Donovan’s “decided to highlight our customers’ favorite items” on the menu, said Cristian Davila, director of public relations and content creation for Datz Restaurant Group. This included a signature affordable steak dish as well as a rich, comforting cheesecake created to draw in the crowds.
Reflecting back on the impact of the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week, “we were grateful to have the extra exposure during this unprecedented time,” said Davila.
A particularly rewarding aspect about being a part of the Restaurant Week for the community-minded staff at Donovan’s was being able to give back through Feeding Tampa Bay. For more information on Donovan’s, visit donovansmeatery.com.
Also located in Winthrop Town Centre, Datz Restaurant of Riverview hosted the Road to Gameday events as well.
“This was naturally something that we wanted to take part in and we are extremely honored that the NFL invited us to take part,” said Michael Shaheen, social media and community relations manager for Datz Restaurant Group.
“We really wanted to pick items that we felt were iconic for Datz to really give people who were just visiting for the game a taste of what we are known for,” said Shaheen.
At Datz, being able to serve football fans during the event created an undeniably positive and high spirited atmosphere in the restaurant. Many guests came to Datz during Restaurant Week wearing their favorite jerseys to support the NFL teams. Visit datztampa.com to find out more about the restaurant.
For Kraftologee of Riverview, found on the corner of Bloomingdale Ave. and S. Gornto Lake Rd., being a part of the excitement of the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week helped “get a few new customers” through the door, said Restaurant Owner Martha Bermudez. When crafting the Road to Gameday menu, the team at Kraftologee made sure to incorporate a vegetarian option to offer a more accommodating selection for the attendees. To connect with the restaurant, call 570-7391.
Another locally owned and operated restaurant, Eggs Up Grill, situated right off of U.S. Hwy. 301 in Riverview, jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the Restaurant Week.
The Good Morning Burger is “now one of our more popular options that a lot of our guests are more aware of since offering it as a highlighted special with the Road to Gameday eats,” said Priscilla Conyers, one of the owners of Eggs Up Grill.
As a result of being able to participate in the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week, the new budding restaurant received some name notoriety and built more relationships with members of the community.
“It feels really good as one of the owners to be able to highlight our brand with the great service and food that we provide to the local residents in the community” through the Restaurant Week, said Conyers.
To see more on Eggs Up Grill, visit eggsupgrill.com.
Although the Road to Gameday Restaurant Week has ended, be sure to check out these local restaurants that are open daily and ready to serve the community.
