Around here they tend to offer the full menu as well. In fact at some places you have to ask for the RW menu if you want it.

I love RW.

If you can get a reservation when the places are packed with RWers.

how about an alternate point of view? I always try to go 1 or 2 nites to restaurant week--why? because normally these venues are out of my budget and I always get to go somewhere Ive never been--I have actually found a few restaurants that I returned to and really enjoyed. Also, the RW menu I had the other night actually offered several upgrades and offered the regular menu.
For those of us who cant afford to splurge that often, its very nice, and I think its very smart because it gets us regular folk hooked on their place:)

The problem is that you are not getting to experience what makes that restaurant special. The food will be different. The service will be different.

Need proof: take a nice restaurant and look at the Trip Advisor or Yelp reviews. Inevitably the worst reviews will be from RW diners. Their expectations are high and they are often disappointed by the dumbed down RW offerings and service.

But I did find out who hates RW more than me: waiters at nice restaurants. According to my waiter last night, servers despise RW as they end up working twice as hard and make less in tips than they do on regular nights.


Great minds and all that. ;)

There must be some benefit for the restaurants to participate.

Funny, I never really noticed restaurant week in San Francisco, because it was only the places with empty tables that participated. My usual places didn't participate. Chicago seems to be different insofar as it is not difficult to get a table at even the most popular places (with a few exceptions), so perhaps RW will make a difference in my experience. We'll see.

Yup.

Publicity, plus the opportunity to fill tables at an otherwise dead time of year.

A lot of good restaurants do participate in RW in Chicago, though in my experience it can be difficult to get reservations at some of the better places. Six of us are doing a birthday dinner on Saturday the 7th and our short list of restaurants was shorter than normal because, I'm sure, of RW. (I now realize that we're going to a participating restaurant, but I suspect we'll end up going a la carte.)

this has not been my experience....but then again, we always go early, like at 5-5:30 and I even remarked to mr nlkm9 the other nite that I was surprised at how we werent rushed.
Im not naive enough to think the RW evening is like it is normally, but again, for those of us who dont spend a lot on entertainment and food, its like getting admission to a place we normally couldnt go. I guess if I was that offended by it, I would patronize other restaurants that didnt offer it that week.
I mean, this is a problem Id like to have

ooops--just saw this. honestly, I am fairly easy going about things, except for one place we went to, all our RW jaunts have been awesome--there is one place we have gone back to several times because the food was so good and it was really nice. Also, I tip very well because I understand the economics. But like I said, I can walk away from something fairly pleased when everyone else Im with is complaining, so perhaps my expectations are not as demanding?? :)

Elway's here in Denver (fantastic, not the typical 'celebrity restaurant'), their Cherry Creek location does RW, the Downtown location does not. So you can get reservations, standard menu and service at one, and RW at the other.

No restaurant week here that I know of. In the summer, restaurants are packed and in the winter, a number of the places at the beach close for 2-3 months. In fact, at the opposite end of the spectrum, in the winter time when business is low, three of my favorite restaurants have brought me a "locals" card that I use all year to get 10% off the bill. I'm not sure if they recognize me from multiple visits or just assume if I'm eating there in January, I must be local. I suppose handing one to a visitor wouldn't cost you much since they're not likely to come back often. But I appreciate it and it might save me a couple hundred $ over the course of a year. One of these places is where we usually bring out of town guests. ^^

I despise Restaurant Week. You don't even get to try the most interesting stuff on the menu! I want something that I can't make at home when I go out to eat, or with interesting ingredients that I haven't tried before. That being said, at a few places its pretty good.

Restaurant Week in Orange County will be March 1 - 7, 2015.

I love it. I'm a big fixed menu fan in general. I eat absolutely anything, so having a talented chef just decide on a great sequence of courses at a good restaurant is entirely up my alley.

I don't know how it is in most places but at least where I went here in SF they also had their normal menus available. I always go for fixed price when it's offered though.

I feel your pain. But you are lucky it' just one week. 15 days here!! But gives me a chance to look for places that don't participate.

I love your screen name! I'm a proud lady vol:)