Whitby on the North -east coast in the county of North Yorkshire is one of those places seen on the television, mentioned in magazines, heard about on the radio and featured in many brochures. It conjures up the image of a small fishing port steeped in history, cobbles in the harbour, the impressive Whitby Abbey imposing on the headland, seagulls swooping over the rooftops in search of a tasty titbit and the lingering scent of fish and chips, the infamous dish associated with the town.

However wonderful a picture this brings to mind, it is in fact a reality. This town has all the elements to enjoy time spent here be it for leisure or for living. Many of the visitor who have holidayed here in the past are now relocating to ‘live their dream’.

In response to the growing population and the increase in tourism, the Whitby Restaurants in the town are expanding. Over recent years the numbers of restaurants has increased tremendously. By the term ‘restaurants’ this also includes the restaurants situated in hotels and Whitby pubs. The independent restaurants include many offering Asian cuisine, Italian, Seafood and typical English Style.

In these times of difficult economic restrictions it is heartening to see the restaurants of the town thriving. The upturn in the number of tourists visiting ‘out of season’ and the ability and desire of the local population to dine out more frequently, has helped the business turnover of the restaurants considerably.

At the present time, in the run up to St. Valentine’s Day, the restaurants are busy advertising their menus for the Valentine’s weekend and the actual day which happens to fall on a Tuesday this year. Imaginative menus are on display appropriately named for the occasion. For instance, ‘Sweet lips sticky chicken’ followed by ‘Tender steak in true love blue cheese sauce’ rounded off with ‘Passionfruit ice-cream surprise’. Although it may sound corny, it all adds to the ambience.

Differing celebrations at other times in the year also make a difference in the way in which restaurants market their businesses. During the months of late October and early November, the businesses in the town, restaurants included, pay special attention to the events linked with the Gothic Weekends and Halloween. Premises are decorated in the traditional ‘bats and vampires’ regalia with many decorations featuring the regulatory colours of orange, black and green. It is all a bit of harmless fun and in no way detracts from the quality of food available. The visitors, in particular, who congregate in the town for this event, appreciate the effort by the restaurant owners to enhance their premises in accordance with the festivities.Once again the menus are embellished in accordance with the theme.

Spring celebrations including Easter and Mother’s Day are a time when the restaurant owners are mor or less guaranteed increased custom from not only the visitors but also the local population. For it is the local population which keeps these businesses afloat throughout the year and at the lean times ‘out of season’.

Competition amongst the various restaurants ensures that the customer has an excellent choice of menu and surroundings. Some restaurants have a reputation far and wide making it a magnet for those visiting the town. Many of the establishments have won awards from accredited experts but there are still a number of the smaller businesses vying for custom whilst steadily improving their standards. ‘Large oaks from small acorns grow’ as they say, and that is true of the many, many, restaurants in the town of Whitby. The proud home of the humble ‘fish and chips’ has a much more extensive menu option nowadays.

Author: tyleh6wnob

This author has published 3 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.