CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Cumberland Valley Meal Madness comes to a close today, with two finalists going head to head for the title of “Best Restaurant in Cumberland County."
Out of the 64 participating restaurants, the final restaurants standing are Hamilton Restaurant located in downtown Carlisle and Valley Bistro in Enola.
“In March, everyone loves filling out brackets, so we thought it would be fun if we had our own little bracket for restaurants,” said Aaron Jumper, public relations manager at Cumberland Valley Desserts Bureau.
All 64 restaurants were chosen by rankings on Trip Advisor and Cumberland Valley Dessert Bureau. The competition started at the beginning of the month and the winner will be declared at noon today, March 30.
“It is a near-daily ranking contest where we break down the regions from Carlisle to the West Shore, Mechanicsburg, to Shippensburg and we compile these restaurants and the bracket continues on,” said Jumper.
Jumper said this friendly competition offers the public an opportunity to get out of the house to try something new and gives restaurants some publicity. After years of the pandemic, Jumper said he hopes people continue to expand their pallets and visit local restaurants.
“They’re still suffering with workforce and shortages,” said Jumper. He added, “Early pandemic it was ‘how do we make sure people know how to pick up and order to takeout’ now it’s ‘how do we make sure they’re still staying open.'”
To cast your vote for The Hamilton or Valley Bistro, click here.