It took more than a year, but American diners are coming out of hiding, starting to splurge on everything from tea to tacos and tacking on some dessert.
The meals aren't fancy — and business is far what it was before the recession sent the nation spiraling — but restaurateurs big and small say they're breathing a tentative sigh of relief as tables fill up.
At Deleece, a restaurant on Chicago's north side, crowds are bigger than they've been in months. It's noisier, too.
"People are out and they're spending a little more and maybe they're buying that extra appetizer they didn't before," said Brandon Canfield, the restaurant's chef.
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