Milford Restaurant Week kicked off for 16 participating businesses on Monday.

Milford restaurants are offering two weeks of special deals.

Ryan McConnell reopened Cafe Atlantique during the pandemic. He says his first Restaurant Week will be kind of a party for the cafe.

"Being able to welcome in the community in any capacity feels great in 2021, but this is a really fun way for us to showcase what we've been trying to do as new owners,” he McConnell says.

This year, residents will have twice as long to take advantage of deals.

Stonebridge Restaurant is offering a special lunch and dinner menu that general manager Phil Conine says is not to be missed.

"Our fried buttermilk chicken sandwich is one of the best chicken sandwiches you'll ever eat. We have people who eat 'em twice a day,” he says.

Despite reports of a labor shortage in hospitality, owners News 12 talked to say they are fully staffed for the Restaurant Week rush.

However, McConnell says the labor market was changed by the pandemic, possibly forever.

“Everyone's kind of adjusting to what the new relationship to labor is. From my standpoint, it means paying people more, which is generally good,” he says.

Conine says it's all about offering a good workplace culture.

"People want to go where they want to work, so if you're having issues with people not working, maybe what you're doing is not working,” he says.

For a full list of participating restaurants and a look at their special menu offerings, click here.