This week we welcome back “Restaurant Week” to Rockland County and the Hudson Valley. I am thrilled to see this event returning as we continue on the road to recovery as it spells very good things for our future.

Running until May 23rd it is a great opportunity to try the food at some of our great local restaurants at a price that won’t break the bank. Participating restaurants are offering three-course dinner menus for $35.95 and lunches for $25.95.

And now that restaurants in New York are able to operate at 75% dining capacity and with all capacity restrictions being lifted on May 19th, we are making real progress at getting back to a new normal. I encourage residents to support our local businesses, especially our restaurants, who were all affected by the pandemic.

With people now feeling more comfortable getting out and about, Restaurant Week is the perfect time to show our support for the restaurants that have been there for us when we needed them. Dining out will also give our local economy an extra boost as we in government aim to get more folks back to work.

All this should lead to further improvements in the local unemployment rate which stood at 5.6% in March. Down from 6.4% in February and down from a high of 13.4% during the worst of the pandemic last April. Rockland is heading in the right direction and anything we can do to support restaurants will help.

Dining establishments are a key part of our local economy. 763 of these businesses employed more the 7,400 people prior to the pandemic. The number of employees dropped to just over 6,200 in the Fall of 2020, but the number of businesses remained relatively stable.

These numbers make it clear to me that this is an area that is primed for a full recovery and I look forward to doing my part to help it along by dining out and enjoying some great local food. And if you are not comfortable dining out just yet, that’s okay too, this year many restaurants are also offering takeout options.

You can view participating Rockland restaurants and make your reservation here: https://bit.ly/3sB332Q

I hope to see you there!

*This is a weekly column by Rockland County Executive Ed Day.