Harford County Restaurant Week boosted sales at local businesses some 10 to 15 percent, the county said in a news release Tuesday.

The third annual Restaurant Week, held last month at businesses throughout the county, increased business at restaurants at a 10 to 15 percent clip for the second straight year.

"We are very pleased with how well the promotion went this year," Wini Roche, coordinator of Restaurant Week and the manager of tourism for Harford County, said in a statement. "We want to thank everyone who supported our local businesses." 

A contest ran throughout restaurant week, enabling patrons to enter cards for the chance to win $1,000 worth of dining gift cards from participating restaurants.

Aberdeen Proving Ground employee Karen Romecki, of Conowingo, entered to win while having lunch with friends and co-workers at Sweet Devotion in Havre de Grace. She was selected randomly, and presented the prize at Mountain Branch Grille & Pub.

Mountain Branch was the busiest restaurant during the promotion for the second straight year. The official total of Restaurant Week customers for the Joppa restaurant was 444—seven more than last year's total, and perhaps less than the actual turnout, manager Keith Davis said, because the high volume made record-keeping challenging.

"The Restaurant Week promotion brought in a lot of new faces to our restaurant and many returned from last year," Davis said. "We hope to welcome them back throughout the year."

Liberatore's, Pairings Bistro, Silver Spring Mining Company and Sean Bolan's rounded out the five busiest restaurants during the promotion.

TELL US: Did you participate in Harford County Restaurant Week? Where did you go? Leave a comment.