Downtown bars, restaurants expect busy Friday night

CLEVELAND (WJW) — Friday night will be a busy one in downtown Cleveland with two concerts and a home game for the Guardians .

Combined, up to 100,000 people could be attending those events. For downtown bars and restaurants, it will be a welcome sight.

“That’s just an enormous amount of volume, and, you know, a rising tide lifts all boats. So it’s good for everybody that’s down here,” Alex Diiorio said.

Diiorio is the COO for the Salerno Group, which includes restaurants Lago and Sora, and also licenses the Banditos in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse .

With two restaurants near Huntington Bank Field, Diiorio told FOX 8 News that they’re always prepared for super-busy days.

“These are the nights we live for in this business. Busy nights are high-energy for us. They keep our team motivated. They keep our team excited, and I think it helps us deliver better service to our guests when we’re enthusiastic about what’s going on,” he said.

Officials suggest arriving early and staying late for anyone heading downtown Friday to be able to find parking and enjoy one of the many businesses before or after the event they’re coming for.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.