It took more than a year, but people nationwide are beginning to spend healthy sums of money at restaurants and cafes again. Maybe people are just a bit stir-crazy. Or, maybe it’s a sign the economy is rebounding. Some diners are even tacking on dessert, notes The Associated Press.

And while most meals weren’t fancy and business remains tough, restaurateurs are breathing a sigh of relief, including in Denver, which just concluded a very successful Restaurant Week. The number of meals served rose by 13 percent from a year ago, although part of the jump was the result of more restaurant participation, according to the Denver Business Journal.

Restaurant Week, which lasted two weeks in late February and early March, brought 282 dining establishments together to offer three- or four-course, fixed-price meals to attract business during a slow time of year. “I think people are tired of the recession. I think people wanted to get out and have some fun,” Rich Grant, with the Denver Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, tells 9News.

Another sign of economic recovery comes at universities, where graduating seniors are seeing improved potential for finding work. Hiring projections are climbing after bottoming out a year ago, according to Boulder’s Daily Camera.