Diners eat at Caribbean Jerk Palace, a newly opened restaurant participating in Eat Drink HTX this year, offering price fixed meals to help raise money for Houston Food Bank. Photo by Paola Hoffman, Houston Newsroom.

Paola Hoffman and Hope Yang

Over 80 restaurants joined Eat Drink HTX this year to help raise money for Houston Food Bank. 

Eat Drink HTX is the five-year-old event run by the Cleverly Stone Foundation, which also hosts Houston Restaurant Weeks. The event ran from Feb. 15 to 28.

The event offers price fixed menus of $15 and $25 items at casual dining restaurants.

Around a dollar will be donated for every purchase and used to support food delivery, said Heather Icenogle, Houston Food Bank director of advancement services. 

“The great thing is that for every dollar we receive, the food bank can distribute three meals,” Icenogle said. “Every single meal that someone goes out and eats gets tripled in terms of distribution later.”

Caribbean Jerk Palace, which opened in 2025, added its menu to the program this year. 

Restaurant Owner Chef Reno said that he has always cared about helping causes that keep people fed. 

“Even growing up, I wasn’t always fortunate,” Reno said. “My mom, she always went to places where they was passing out food to make sure we stayed eating.” 

“So once I do see anything that’s donating to people that’s hungry, ‘cause they might be the next person like me, grow up with the same ambition and own a restaurant and give back also,” Reno continued.

About 39% of households in Houston and Harris county are food insecure, according to data by the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

The national average for food insecurity is 14%. These households are unable to reliably get the food they need.

Eat Drink HTX has raised $142,000 for Houston Food Bank in the past five years, Icenogle said.