Restaurant Week starts Monday, March 22 in the Quad Cities and runs through March 29. What is Restaurant Week (RW) you ask?

QC Restaurant Week is organized by VisitQuadCities.com and it's special because participating restaurants usually offer a deal or specials to entice you during the week. It happens twice a year.

If you go here to VisitQuadCities.com, you'll find a list of participating restaurants in the our area that offer dine-in or carry-out options. Restaurants usually do some kind of Restaurant Week promotion to let you try new food options at a good price.

Have you ever been to the Crane and Pelican in LeClaire? They're offering half price meat loaf during Restaurant Week. If you've never had their meatloaf, you don't know what you're missing.

It's a great way to try different restaurants in the Quad City area and get a deal at the same time. It's not just dinners either; you'll find specials at frozen yogurt places and breweries too.

Get our free mobile app

You don't need to buy anything to participate in Restaurant Week. You don't need any coupons. Just take a look at the list and mention the special when you arrive.

If you want to win a restaurant gift card all you need to do is save your receipts, take photos and post your experience online and use the hashtag, #qcrestaurantweek. Sign up here by April 2 to win.

Keep checking back for more specials every day. You'll find restaurants like:

SIPPI'S AMERICAN GRILL & CRAFT BEER

Blue Iguana

Bayside Bistro

Meli’s Pancake House 

Here's the complete list of participating restaurants. Let's face it. It's been a rough year for all of us, but especially for those in the restaurant and food service industries. Let's show them some love! Get take out or dine-in, but tip well. It's been a rough time in the restaurant biz.