As festivals fill Des Moines streets, restaurants feel the pinch
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Downtown Des Moines festivals attract tens of thousands of people each year. Photo: Courtesy of the Greater Des Moines Partnership
Frequent weekend street closures for downtown Des Moines festivals cut into nearby restaurants' most profitable hours and are worsening an already difficult time for table-service spots, managers of several businesses tell Axios.
Why it matters: Festivals are meant to boost downtown vitality and foot traffic, but if that activity doesn't translate into restaurant sales, the city could be trading year-round businesses for occasional events.
Driving the news: Django will close permanently on March 14, capping off nearly two decades in the Western Gateway Park area and following Americana, which closed in September after about 15 years.
Friction point: "Every top restaurant west of 10th downtown on Locust is now gone," Jim Duncan, a local journalist and administrator of the Facebook group DSM Dining Discoveries, wrote in a recent Cityview article.
- Bistro Nomad, Proof, Ritual Café and the Reinhardt Room are among the casualties in the district in recent years.
- "COVID and the work-from-home ethos that followed are usually deemed the reason," but street festivals and food trucks have contributed to the district's demise, he said.
State of play: Nearby street closures generally cost the still-in-business Bubba five figures in weekend sales because they limit access to the restaurant and typically draw foot traffic to food trucks, managing partner Chris Diebel tells Axios.
Yes, but: Django's closure next week will have been caused by multiple industry and local pressures, not just street closures, Paul Rottenberg, president of Orchestrate Hospitality, which helps manage Django and Centro, tells Axios.
- Economic uncertainty, changes in social gathering habits, and even the curbing of appetites via weight-loss drugs are factors across the state, Jessica Dunker, president and CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association, tells Axios.
By the numbers: At least six events closed Grand or Locust streets surrounding the Pappajohn Sculpture Park over most of a weekend during warmer months last year, including the DSM Arts Festival and the World Food & Music Festival.
- Five affected smaller segments of the district's streets, lasting as little as a few hours, like the State Fair Parade.
The big picture: DSM receives about 200 street-closure applications a year, including those required for construction projects.
Reality check: The city recognizes that street closures can be disruptive for businesses, but signature events can drive traffic and boost hotel stays, deputy DSM city manager Matt Anderson tells Axios.
- DSM reviews requests to minimize hardships, he says.
Behind the scenes: The upcoming $90 million Global Plaza and soccer stadium project is intended to reduce street closures and make events easier to run.
- But the plaza isn't expected to open until 2029, so it's a longer-term solution, Anderson says.