The Hippo : New Hampshire's Weekly : Spring means restaurant deals

Now that the snow has melted, restaurants in Nashua and Manchester are gearing up to open their doors to greet customers with springtime dining deals.

Nashua will hold its third Spring Feast Week, organized by Great American Downtown, from Monday, April 4, through Friday, April 8. With Portsmouth’s Restaurant Week preceding the Gate City dining event and Manchester Eats Week following, Great American Downtown Executive Director Sue Butler said everything worked out how she hoped it would.

“It allows ourselves to complement each other instead of conflicting with each other,” she said. “…I think the selling of that is a lot easier. People will be Googling ‘restaurant weeks’ and ‘eats week’ and they will come up with Manchester, Portsmouth and Nashua. We are all helping promote each other.”

Sixteen restaurants have signed up to participate in this year’s Spring Feast Week, including two newcomers: O’Brien’s Sports Bar and Old Amsterdam Bar & Lounge. “It’s a way for them to get new people into their place … what a way to kick off a new restaurant with a restaurant promotion,” Butler said.

Butler had been instrumental in organizing Manchester’s first Eats Week and when she took the reins at Great American Downtown, she felt it could be equally successful because of the Gate City’s “strong dining scene.” The first Spring Feast Week in Nashua was so popular that a Fall Feast Week was also created.

“Some people have asked us to do it quarterly,” Butler said.

The Spring Feast Week allows participating restaurants to use their discretion to offer meals at their desired price points. “They get to create whatever menu they want … the public loves to save money and the restaurants love their seats filled, it works for everyone,” Butler said.

Restaurants in Manchester will adhere to $5, $10 and $20 price points for that city’s Eats Week, organized by Intown Manchester, which will run Sunday, April 10, through Thursday, April, 14. The 20 participating restaurants also took part in the Taste of Manchester last fall. “This is a thank-you for them doing the event,” said Jennifer Gordon, project specialist at Intown Manchester.

The event, Gordon said, invites people to dine downtown for a reasonable price.

“When else could you get a meal for $5?” she said. “It also makes a good date night — an appetizer, two entrees and dessert for $20? It’s a good way for people to not have to break the bank.”