Check back every Friday for Cheap Date: one weekend event or activity that won't break the bank.

Looking to warm up this weekend? All you need is a few dollars and an empty stomach.

A drive up I-271 on Saturday will lead to plenty of meat, beans and spices. The Downtown Willoughby Bar & Restaurant Association is hosting a Chili Cookoff from noon to 5 p.m. along Erie Street.

Nearly every restaurant on the Downtown Willoughby strip will create its own version of chili, offering 5-oz. bowls for $3.

The 15 participating restaurants include:

• Burgers-n-Beer
• Willoughby Brewing Co.
• Ballantine
• Olivor Twist
• Frank & Tony’s Place

Last year, Mullarkey’s Irish Pub won the Judge's Taste contest, while Michael Stefan, who owns a nearby Salon, won the people's choice award for his pulled-pork chili.

Where: Downtown Willoughby, from the Erie Street-Mentor Avenue intersection to the Erie Street-Euclid Avenue fork

When: noon to 5 p.m., Saturday Oct. 20

Price: $3 for 5-oz. bowls of chili in front of participating restaurants

Website: www.dtwilloughby.com/chili