We can Still Eat!
The Official Interactive Restaurant Map for Taste Trenton 2020!
Taste Trenton, the Capital City’s Restaurant Crawl returns for its fourth season featuring 40 local restaurants!
Taste Trenton is back! After taking a year off, the acclaimed Capital City restaurant crawl will return on Friday, June 5th through Sunday, June 7th 2020 to show off some of Trenton’s best eateries.
Once again, food adventurers wearing special wristbands will enjoy reduced-price dishes at restaurants across Trenton. As in previous Taste Trenton events, there's a dizzying array of cuisine options including Costa Rican, Venezuelan, Dominican, and Guatemalan. As well restaurants featuring BBQ, classic African-American fare, and choices with a New Orleans flair. NJ Weedman’s Joint will be showcasing the skills of its new chef, Dante Foggy, a winner of Food Network’s Chopped series.
Once again, food adventurers wearing special wristbands will enjoy reduced-price dishes at restaurants across Trenton. As in previous Taste Trenton events, there's a dizzying array of cuisine options including Costa Rican, Venezuelan, Dominican, and Guatemalan. As well restaurants featuring BBQ, classic African-American fare, and choices with a New Orleans flair. NJ Weedman’s Joint will be showcasing the skills of its new chef, Dante Foggy, a winner of Food Network’s Chopped series.
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This year, 40 restaurants will be on the self-guided tour. Taste Trenton began in 2015 as a project of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations (TCCA) as an effort to re-introduce Trenton’s restaurant scene to the residents of Trenton and surrounding communities after several well-known restaurants in the Chambersburg Restaurant District closed or re-located to the suburbs.
“We were hearing two consistent stories,” says Bernard McMullan, the coordinator of Taste Trenton. |
Trenton, NJ Mayor Reed Gusciora and 1911 Smokehouse BBQ owner Reggie Hallett. Photo Courtesy of 78 Ways Studios' Will Foskey
“First, people told us that ‘All the restaurants in Chambersburg were closed.’ Second, many people proclaimed that there were ‘no places to eat in downtown Trenton.’ "
“We knew that both statements were inaccurate. Yes, restaurants had closed. But most people didn’t realize that new restaurants had opened up within a short time in the same buildings and were offering really exciting food options. Our goal is to introduce these new restaurants to guests in a low-cost, easy manner.”
Here’s how it works: Food tourists purchase a wristband from Taste Trenton. Wristbands are valid for the entire weekend. Come to ArtWorks (19 Everett Alley) to pick up the wristband and a passport/guidebook that lists each participating restaurant, notes the specials being offered, and provides a map showing each location.
The tour is self-guided; those on the tour select which restaurants they want to visit, how long they want to stay, and which of the specials they want to try. On Saturday only, there will be free buses transporting guests from Artworks to restaurants in the Chambersburg/South Broad St area. Since its launch in 2015 as a one-day event focused on 12 restaurants in Chambersburg, Taste Trenton has expanded to an entire weekend promoting dozens of restaurants throughout the city. Each event has attracted more and more guests, from 150 participants in the first year to 250 and 325 guests in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In 2019, organizers are hoping that 500 guests will spend time in Trenton trying out one or more of the participating restaurants.
“We believe that getting people to cross the thresholds of restaurants is very important.” McMullan notes. “The tour guides people to the restaurants; the reduced price samples mean guests are not concerned about dropping a lot of money on something they don’t like; and, the restaurant has the opportunity to make these guests return visitors.”
1911 Smokehouse Co-owner, Reggie Hallett, is a strong supporter of Taste Trenton. “When we were invited to join in the second year, we jumped at the opportunity. I can confidently point to 15 to 20 of our regular customers who first came to the Smokehouse for that event, and they haven’t stopped coming.”
“We knew that both statements were inaccurate. Yes, restaurants had closed. But most people didn’t realize that new restaurants had opened up within a short time in the same buildings and were offering really exciting food options. Our goal is to introduce these new restaurants to guests in a low-cost, easy manner.”
Here’s how it works: Food tourists purchase a wristband from Taste Trenton. Wristbands are valid for the entire weekend. Come to ArtWorks (19 Everett Alley) to pick up the wristband and a passport/guidebook that lists each participating restaurant, notes the specials being offered, and provides a map showing each location.
The tour is self-guided; those on the tour select which restaurants they want to visit, how long they want to stay, and which of the specials they want to try. On Saturday only, there will be free buses transporting guests from Artworks to restaurants in the Chambersburg/South Broad St area. Since its launch in 2015 as a one-day event focused on 12 restaurants in Chambersburg, Taste Trenton has expanded to an entire weekend promoting dozens of restaurants throughout the city. Each event has attracted more and more guests, from 150 participants in the first year to 250 and 325 guests in 2016 and 2017, respectively. In 2019, organizers are hoping that 500 guests will spend time in Trenton trying out one or more of the participating restaurants.
“We believe that getting people to cross the thresholds of restaurants is very important.” McMullan notes. “The tour guides people to the restaurants; the reduced price samples mean guests are not concerned about dropping a lot of money on something they don’t like; and, the restaurant has the opportunity to make these guests return visitors.”
1911 Smokehouse Co-owner, Reggie Hallett, is a strong supporter of Taste Trenton. “When we were invited to join in the second year, we jumped at the opportunity. I can confidently point to 15 to 20 of our regular customers who first came to the Smokehouse for that event, and they haven’t stopped coming.”
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