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Hell’s Kitchen has been a mainstay in downtown Norfolk for about 20 years. It wasn’t until recently that the Granby Street restaurant had two of its busiest days.
That was thanks to the thousands of people who came out for First Fridays in August and September, a block party that stretched 16 streets.
But even with the noted success, the event’s producer, Downtown Norfolk Council, canceled its upcoming date in October, the last of the season.
Jessica Kliner, the council’s director of marketing and communications, said the group wanted to “reevaluate” the logistics and make some changes before coming back next year. Kliner noted the staffing needed to run a larger event and the quick turnaround between each one.
The council took advantage of a new Virginia ABC local special event license, which allowed people to take drinks they bought at one restaurant and walk around the 16-block footprint. The event ended at 8 p.m., meaning the streets reopened to traffic and people couldn’t be outside anymore walking with a drink in their hand.
It was one of the first events that used the license, and helped drive around 5,000 people out to Granby Street in August and again in September. Bands played music, food was served to go and kids could get their face painted. Previously, First Fridays have been confined to just three blocks and about 2,500 people would come out.
“It’s just novel in our region to walk on an urban city street with a margarita in your hand,” Kliner said.
She said restaurants did a great job of staffing up with the increased volume but it takes people and resources to help run the event, including shutting down streets and having workers around to manage the crowds.
The decision to cancel October’s event comes as coronavirus cases are on the rise. Last week, about 11% of standard nasal swab tests came back positive throughout Virginia, and close to 3,400 new cases are being diagnosed each day.
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The recent increase in cases was “top of mind” when thinking about holding the next First Fridays event but not a direct reason for its cancellation, Kliner said.
Blair, of Hell’s Kitchen, said his Granby Street restaurant nearly doubled its sales of a typical Friday during the events. It even beat out the bigger nights of Halloween and New Year’s Eve.
The biggest impact was allowing restaurants to get money from alcohol sales versus the downtown council selling it themselves, Blair said. It also included a larger number of businesses.
“It was inclusive,” Blair said of the extended event. “It wasn’t just one end of the street.”
Kliner expects First Fridays to return in April in a similar format. The event typically runs between April and October.
Gordon Rago, 757-446-2601, gordon.rago@pilotonline.com