The Newport News Hospitality Association announced Wednesday afternoon it was canceling its annual restaurant week because of labor shortages, high food prices and supply chain issues.

The event, a partnership between the hospitality association and Newport News Tourism, has typically been held in January since 2014 because that’s when the restaurant business is usually slow, according to a news release.

The hospitality association will decide in March whether to host the event later in the year during the summer or fall months.

“We are hopeful the event will be offered later in 2022,” Newport News Tourism, the city’s tourism division, said in the release.

The hospitality association hosted Newport News Restaurant Week earlier this year but rebranded it as “awareness week” to encourage the community to support local restaurants that may have suffered during the pandemic. The event took place over the course of two weeks and participating restaurants offered dine-in or to-go specials to abide by the capacity restrictions that were in place because of the coronavirus.

Restaurant owners across Hampton Roads have been reporting labor shortages since the spring, when people were able to get vaccinated and restrictions were lifted. The trend has continued in the region with demand to dine at restaurants outpacing job applications.

Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported food prices were 6.4% higher than they were a year ago, which is the largest spike in food inflation in more than a decade. The cost for meals away from home rose 5.8% over the last year, which marked the largest 12-month increase since 1982.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com