The Reserve Chagrin Falls seats only 26 guests each Tuesday through Saturday night, serving  a mix of locally sourced appetizers, entrees, and salads. Owner Mike Mendlovic opened the 800-square-foot restaurant two years ago in the same spot where he operated the popular Umami bistro for 14 years, and he says The Reserve has become a familiar and popular destination among diners from the Chagrin Valley, the East Side of Cleveland, and even many West Side foodies.

But come March, business at even the most popular area restaurants tends to slow down. The holiday season and Valentine’s Day are over, gift cards have been used, and the Northeast Ohio weather is unpredictable.

Restaurant Week 2024Enter Cleveland Independents, which launched its 19th Cleveland Restaurant Week last Monday, March 4, to encourage diners to get out, expand their culinary horizons and try some new locally owned restaurants offering three-course prix fixe menus for $39.

Mendlovic, who is also the treasurer of Cleveland Independents, says he sees the benefits of the annual incentive.

“After the holidays, restaurants in general tend to be a little slower, and it starts to pick up a little bit in the spring,” he explains. “I think at Cleveland Independents, we're fairly strategic about when we have our Restaurant Weeks, and I think it's a really great timing for a lot of us.”

Mendlovic says the slower periods are great times to encourage potential new regulars to travel outside their usual comfort zones and try new places.

“We are fairly well known in the Chagrin Valley area, fairly well known on the east side, and we get a good amount of folks from the west side, but this really broadens their horizons a bit,” he says. “We get a [few] more people from the west side and the south side who we normally [wouldn’t get]. And it's not just us. Batuqui is right down the street from us and they participate in Restaurant Week as well, and there are a couple of others in the Chagrin Valley so it’s a great thing.”

The Reserve Chagrin FallsJust entering its second week, Cleveland Restaurant Week runs through Saturday, March 16, with about 40 area restaurants offering their prix fixe menus. The restaurants are located from downtown Cleveland and extending to Westlake, Geneva, Akron, and Twinsburg.

Member participation in this year’s event is at an all-time high, with new members contributing to a more diverse and inclusive Cleveland Independents.

While $39 is the standard price for the three-course menus, some participants deviate up or down from that amount, offer carryout or delivery, or only offer the special menus during certain days of the week.

For instance, The Reserve only offers its prix fixe menu during the week, Tuesday through Thursday, says Mendlovic, because the small restaurant is normally at capacity on the weekends and the staff can’t take on extra customers.

Mendlovic’s menu offers diners a choice of three options for each course:

The Reserve’s first course is a choice of duck confit nachos, prosciutto and fig toast, or chili roasted Brussels sprouts; the second course is a choice of umami salmon, sami melt, or massaman curry chicken; and the third course is a choice of smoked bourbon crème brulee, chocolate pot de crème, or the daily feature.

With less than a week left, Mendlovic encourages people to come out and try something new for dinner.

“It's a great way to get people who have not had a chance to come in before to sample a restaurant at a slightly better price point than it normally would cost, especially with the rising prices,” he says. “Nowadays, things cost a lot more, and so we're priced accordingly. This is, almost a way to give back to the community a little bit.”