Steamboat Springs — Leaf peepers in Northwest Colorado will have a mouth-watering new reason to make a pit stop in Steamboat Springs at the end of September.

Several local restaurants are preparing to spice up their menus and offer some specials and discounts for an inaugural fall Restaurant Week, which will run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3.

“We can also feature local meats and local vegetables and put it all together so that it really is a celebration of the local food industry,” Main Street Steamboat Springs manager Lisa Popovich said. “This is also a way for people to try some food they wouldn’t normally try.”

The restaurants could offer a special or create a special menu for the week.

Aurum Food & Wine is one of the first restauraunts to announce a special.

Popovich said the Yampa Street restaurant will feature a three-course meal for $30, and bottles of wine will be 30-percent off.

Major cities across the nation offer a restaurant week to entice visitors and locals alike to sample multi-course meals at discounted prices.

During the Denver Restaurant Week last year, about 300 eateries participated, with each offering a multi-course meal for two for $52.80 (a nod to the altitude of the Mile High City).

Steamboat held a Restaurant Week in 2009, and reportedly, the results were mixed.

Many restaurant owners noticed an uptick in business and said they would participate again, while others said the impact was mixed.

Former Main Street Steamboat manager Tracy Barnett told Steamboat Today at the time the event lured visitors from as far away as Utah.

Fourteen restaurants participated in the city’s first Restaurant Week, which was held in late May.

The details of Steamboat’s upcoming fall Restaurant Week are still being worked out, but Popovich expects most of the eateries in town will participate in one way or another.

The Steamboat Springs Art Museum will host a kickoff party for the culinary event Sept. 23.

Popovich said participating restaurants would serve free appetizers along with some sips.

The Restauraunt Week in Steamboat is also an attempt to extend the city’s fall tourism season at a time marketing efforts begin to trail off.

Popovich said adding a culinary event made sense, because the weather could prevent potential visitors from taking long bike rides or hikes.

The event will be a partnership between Main Street and local businesses.

It will be marketed on the Front Range and in Summit County.

“You can always eat,” Popovich said.

To reach Scott Franz, call 970-871-4210, email scottfranz@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottFranz10