Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Falls Church News-Press has made the decision to postpone plans for its annual Falls Church Restaurant Week promotion, originally scheduled to take place March 23-29.

Health officials and experts are encouraging the public to engage in “social distancing” — activity necessary to prevent the current spread of the virus and we want to encourage those measures as well.

This was a difficult decision to make as Falls Church Restaurant Week has been one of our readers’ — as well as our — most anticipated events and issues of the year.

The hospitality industry has been hit especially hard by the virus and we encourage readers to do what they can to support the Falls Church area’s local restaurants. As planned, we will still be publishing a special Food and Dining edition of the News-Press next week with features on our local dining scene. In addition, Washington City Paper Food Editor Laura Hayes has listed some great ways to help and support local restaurants and bars during the pandemic — like purchasing gift cards, ordering delivery or stocking up on food from local businesses rather than chain grocery stores — and we invite our readers to do the same.

Please note, this is not a cancellation of Falls Church Restaurant Week, it’s just a suspension. We fully intend to put on our seven-day celebration of all things tasty in Falls Church at a later time. Our utmost concern is for the health of our readers and the public, and once conditions improve, Falls Church Restaurant Week will be on once again.