Summer Foodie Adventure Gets Underway In Framingham

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Now you can have your cake (or almost any type of food) and win a prize, too.

The 2021 Framingham Restaurant Rush begins on Friday, offering MetroWest foodies the chance to win prizes just for dining at local restaurants.

The summer-long event is a collaboration between Downtown Framingham Inc., the Framingham Restaurant Council and the Framingham Economic Development Corp., and is aimed at helping restaurants recover after the pandemic.

This week, local foodies can pick up dining passport books at several local restaurants, plus at the weekly concerts at the Centre Common. After you get a passport, visit any of the participating restaurants beginning Friday and spend $20, and you'll get a stamp. When the Restaurant Rush concludes in August, you can return the passport for the chance to win a $1,000 grand prize, and other prizes.

The Restaurant Rush Facebook group, run by local businessman Rick McKenna, will also be updated frequently with details about new prizes and new participating restaurants.

Here are the participating restaurants as of Tuesday — you can also look out for the yellow Forkman stickers on windows of local spots. (Most participating restaurants will be giving out passport books, but the main places are marked with an asterisk.)

• 135 Grill Steakhouse
• Bella Costa Ristorante*
• Bourbon's Kitchen & Cocktails*
• Bronzetti's Pizza
• The Buckley Kitchen & Bar
• CJ's Northside Grille
• Dulce de Leche
• Exhibit 'A' Brewing
• Framingham Station*
• Franklin Street Café
• Green Leaf
• Imperial China
• Jack's Abby*
• Kayem BBQ Truck
• Ken's Steak House
• Kous-Kous
• La Cantina Italiana*
• Mediterranean Turkish Cuisine
• Neko’s of New York*
• Padaria Brasil
• Pao Brasil Bakery
• Pho Dakao
• Sam's Sushi Art and Music
• Saxonville Burrito Co.*
• Star House Chinese Restaurant
• Terra Brasilis
• Tropical Cafe
• Welcome India
• Wings Over Framingham
• Zheng Garden Chinese Cuisine*