OCEAN CITY, Md. - Ocean City’s Restaurant Week may be over, but local businesses say the event gave restaurants a chance to prepare for the busy summer season, and for some, the boost is continuing through Mother’s Day weekend.
With Mother’s Day falling on Sunday, some restaurants, including Happy Jack Pancake House, are expecting one final day of increased business following the two-week-long event.
Some businesses also credited the overlap between Cruisin’ Ocean City and Restaurant Week for helping drive customers through their doors.
“I was really happy with how it all turned out,” says Megan Alvarado, owner of Happy Jack Pancake House in Ocean City.
Alvarado says Restaurant Week benefits the town and hopes participation continues to grow.
“I hope it grows each year and I hope more restaurants participate because I think it'll bring more people into town and they'll enjoy some good food,” Alvarado tells CoastTV.
For other restaurants, however, this year’s turnout did not match previous years.
“I feel like this year hasn't been as much of a draw as years in the past,” Colin Mullen says, a manager at Coastal Salt.
Mullen estimated the restaurant saw about 10% more business during last year’s Restaurant Week compared with this year.
“We're definitely fortunate to see the numbers that we did,” Mullen says. “Never gonna be unhappy having customers through the doors. But you know, always wishing that you knew there was more volume. As a business, that's all you want to see is volume. More people indoors, more happy faces in your seats. That's what everybody wants.”
While Restaurant Week has ended, Ocean City restaurants say their busiest season is only beginning.
