Seattle Restaurant Week and Dine Around Seattle, two biannual celebrations of Seattle-area cuisine, today announced the unification of the two events into one premier promotion dining experience flying under the Seattle Restaurant Week banner.

Dine Around Seattle is operated by Seattle Good Business Network, a nonprofit working to build vibrant and inclusive local economy by connecting and inspiring people to buy, produce, and invest locally. The organization has acquired Seattle Restaurant Week from the Seattle Restaurant Cooperative. The combined promotion will be  produced by The Seattle Times, which lends its expertise of consumer engagement and powerful reach to motivate participants.

“Bringing together Seattle Restaurant Week and Dine Around Seattle allows us to provide not only the best regional prix fixe dining event for our local foodies and acclaimed chefs, but also to introduce a creative line-up of seasonal events showcasing what’s fresh and local throughout the year,” said Erin Nelson, executive director of Seattle Good Business Network.

“The combined promotion married with the mission of Seattle Good Business Network lays a strong foundation to build from. It’s good for restaurants, for diners, and for our local farms and other local food and beverage producers. We’re thrilled with this outcome,” said acclaimed restaurateur and Seattle Restaurant Cooperative Co-founder John Howie.

“Seattle Times readers, users and the community love Seattle Restaurant Week.  It is wonderful to join Dine Around Seattle in providing a single dining promotion.  Our participation furthers our daily efforts on seattletimes.com and in print, to illuminate our thriving, local dining scene.” Kati Erwert, director of marketing at The Seattle Times, said.

The merger brings together two highly complementary collective restaurant promotions deeply rooted in the Seattle culinary scene.

Seattle Restaurant Week invites people across King County to dine out for a deal. More than 165 restaurants in nearly every neighborhood in the Seattle area offer a special three-course dinner menu for $33, and many also offer three-course lunches for $18.

Dine Around Seattle sprung up 16 years ago when a group of local restaurateurs banded together with a vision for to launch a community dining event that would inspire local foodies to explore the regional flavors of the Northwest served by some of the city’s best most celebrated chefs from Seattle’s best restaurants.

The incorporation is effective today. The two community dining events will combine business operations for this fall’s event, with The Seattle Times continuing as a presenting sponsor and marketing arm.

Beginning this fall, Seattle Restaurant Week will expand to three weeks, running Sundays through Thursdays for dinner (all restaurants) and lunch (select restaurants) from Oct. 15 - Nov. 2. In January 2018, the group will introduce its first seasonal event, showcasing local shellfish.