DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – The annual Savor the Avenue event returns to Delray Beach without COVID-19 restrictions.
Restaurant workers and attendees eagerly await the event, which began in 2009 and returned along Atlantic Avenue last year with several pandemic-related restrictions in place.
This year, however, Savor the Avenue is not only back to normal, but also full.
“Everyone is a lot happier about it,” Mit Amin, director of customer relations at Avalon Steak & Seafood, told WPTV on Monday. “The consumer is happy. The guests are happy. We are happy.”
Of 15 participating restaurants, Mayor Shelly Petrolia will be seated at the Avalon table.
“I’m very excited about this,” Amin said. “I mean, she’s the mayor. She’s a city supporter. We support the city.”
Especially after what the restaurant has endured throughout the pandemic.
Amin said when Avalon opened last year, it started with a small number of tables due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. He said they didn’t want to pressure the kitchen and the staff.
“Fiscally, I would say we are 30% higher than last year,” Amin said.
A local non-profit organization went from volunteering at the event to being chosen as the charity to receive ticket proceeds.
“It means a lot. It really does,” EJS Project founder Dupree Jackson told WPTV. “I continue to be surprised and grateful for the support we receive from this community.”
Named after Jackson’s father, the EJS Project provides free services to empower young people in the city, just as Jackson’s father empowered him.
“My dad was the person who instilled a lot of great character traits in me and helped guide my moral direction,” Jackson said.
Part of the proceeds will allow the EJS project to continue to move forward.
“I believe that every child needs at least one adult who they feel fully supports them, believes in them, and that they can be whatever they dream of being,” Jackson said.
Restaurants like Avalon also plan to move forward.
“We hope to take what we can do and share it with Delray,” Amin said.