'We're ready': Downtown restaurants, bars ready to serve up crowds during NFL Draft

Detroit — Chef Omar Mitchell, a Detroit restaurateur, is completely reinventing his Greektown restaurant as football fans converge on the city this week from all over the country for the National Football League Draft.

He'll switch from his white-tablecloth, fine dining concept at his Table No. 2 restaurant to a "Draft Pub" to a more casual, sports-bar like atmosphere, faster service and a streamlined menu of gourmet burgers, hot dogs and loaded fries. And he's ready for big crowds.

"I believe the excitement adrenaline will be pumping, and folks are gonna be coming in and out of the doors all day, all night," Mitchell said.

With 300,000 to 400,000 people expected in Detroit this week for the NFL Draft, downtown restaurants and bars are gearing up to serve some of the biggest crowds they've seen, extending their hours, adjusting shifts for employees, adding staff, even rolling in big screens so diners can eat and watch the draft at the same time.

From Campus Martius to Greektown, many restaurateurs said they're a little nervous, but ready. Many said they're eager to introduce the city and its restaurants to new customers.

"We're ready," said Scott Sadoff, executive vice president of food and beverage for Method Co. at the Book Tower, 1265 Washington Blvd.

The refurbished Louis Kamper-designed hotel, owned by Bedrock, will erect a 28-foot by 19-foot LED entertainment wall in its lobby Thursday, and the Book Tower's restaurants and bars will have expanded hours this week.

The screen will not only accommodate the guests of the sold-out hotel, Roost, but also downtown visitors who may want to sit down for a French dinner at hot spot Le Suprême, grab a quick cappuccino at the lobby Bar Rotunda or a cocktail at rooftop bar Kamper's, which will have its own projection screen for draft viewing.

"Whenever an event like this comes around — and I've been fortunate to be part of a few events like this in other cities — you have this weird, uneasy feeling. But the general feeling that my team has here at the Book Tower is simply just pure excitement," Sadoff said. "We all know what we're doing, and we feel ready and confident and comfortable to be bring an additional million people into the city and to be able to provide an extraordinary guest experience for them."

The draft will bring an infusion of dollars to Detroit's restaurants and bars, most of which didn't exist the last time the city hosted crowds this big: the 2006 Super Bowl. Some are worried about the city's ability to handle so many.

"We've never had anything like this since the Super Bowl back in the day," said Kujcim Kolami, the owner of Que Deli on West Fort Street downtown.

But others said the crowds and overflowing dining rooms are good problems have to have.

Mootz Pizzeria and Bar on Library Street downtown debuted an expanded dining room and a new bar, Side Hustle Lounge, this week. Announced in January, the 2,100-square foot space is an extension of Mootz's dining room, which is often packed. Side Hustle Lounge, a new bar from the brand that has its own shareable plates menu and a 24-seat sidewalk patio, is open to the public now aside from a private party on Thursday.

"The draft is huge for us," said Mootz director of operations Walter Gregorio. "It's going to be, one, a lot of new people that have never been here, so it's a great chance for us to showcase. Two, it gave us the incentive to get (Side Hustle) done on time."

Mootz and Side Hustle will be staying open late, too, until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

"The biggest trouble we have is trying to fit all the people in. ... It's a good problem to have," Gregorio said. "Bar sales keep going up and up. Detroit supports us."

Draft's economic impact

During his 11th State of the City address last week, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said not only will the city welcome an influx of an estimated 300,000 visitors during the draft, but the city also will be showcased to more than 50 million viewers on television.

"This is our moment to reintroduce Detroit to America," he said.

The net economic impact of the draft in downtown Detroit is expected to exceed $160 million, according to a new analysis from the East Lansing-based economic consulting firm Anderson Economic Group LLC. AEG estimated that the draft will have a direct economic impact of $97.5 million on Detroit, with an estimated $35.1 million in total spending by attendees, after accounting for expenditures that leave the area.

That total includes both spending both inside and outside of the event in Detroit, including hotel stays, spending at restaurants and bars, and merchandise purchases.

“When we approach economic impact analysis, we carefully consider each dollar that is going to be invested or spent due to the event. We also carefully consider the power of that dollar in the region and industry of study as it is respent,” said Tyler Theile, vice president and director of economic analysis and public policy at AEG. “Hosting the NFL draft is an exciting win for Detroit and presents invaluable opportunities for the city to showcase its culture on a national stage, fostering long-term tourism and investment prospects.”

What restaurants are doing

Joe Vicari Restaurant Group's Statler French American Bistro in Grand Circus Park just across the street from Comerica Park will host a barbecue patio party during the day on Friday and Saturday, weather permitting. It comes as the Tigers will be playing a series against the Kansas City Royals Friday through Sunday at Comerica Park in addition to the draft.

There will be a special menu of burgers, hot dogs, pretzels and an adult lemonade stand. Customers can watch the Tigers game on the patio’s televisions on Friday and the draft picks on Saturday.

Vicari's other two downtown Detroit restaurants also are preparing for football fans. Joe Muer Seafood and Andiamo Riverfront at the Renaissance Center are open for lunch and dinner on the days leading up to the draft, and will offer patrons a complimentary shuttle to the Campus Martius area from the RenCen.

In Campus Martius, the hub of the action for the draft, bars and restaurants in its direct footprint might see the most visitors, and several are extending hours.

Nearby, Zuzu, normally open only for Asian-inspired dinner cuisine and nightlife, will open at 11 a.m. Thursday for a draft party with DJ Chantel Jeffries. It also plans to have an all-day party on its open rooftop patio with outdoor and tent seating.

Just feet away, Townhouse at 500 Woodward will be opening much earlier than usual, 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday. Its sister restaurant Prime + Proper, 1145 Griswold, also has extended hours, opening at 11 a.m. with a limited menu before dinner service starts at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

Zaid Elia, a local developer who owns multiple restaurants, including the Campus Martius' Starbucks, Anchor Bar, Parc and Zuzu, said "it's not business as usual by any means."

The NFL has taken over Zaid's Parc, which will not be open to the public but only serving guests for the NFL and draft sponsors Verizon and Bud Light, he said.

Zaid said one of the key hurdles his restaurants have faced is mapping out logistics for the multiple parties involved in the draft. But he's leaning on the restaurant's past experience handling large-scale events.

"The secret to our success lies in our dedicated and enthusiastic team," Zaid said.

Concerns raised about draft crowd

At least one restaurant owner, Kolami, the owner of the Que Deli, is concerned the crowds from the draft may be too much. Still, he said he's ready with a streamlined menu and extra staff.

"I'm going to be here 24-7. ... I'm getting prepared," said Kolami, whose deli serves breakfast and lunch from the ground floor of the Fort Washington Plaza and via many third-party delivery apps. The restaurant is known for its labor-intensive corned beef, homestyle chicken noodle soup, and grilled sandwiches and wraps.

While Kolami is ready to go, he's worried that closed streets will make it hard for third-party apps to deliver food and for restaurants to get the kind of deliveries they need so they don't run out of supplies.

"They're going to run out of food with that kind of crowd, it's expected," he said. "...I don't think we have enough restaurants for this kind of crowd, and spatially around Campus Martius over there. Even today, when we have a convention at (Huntington Place), there's no delivery going through over there. They can't get to them because they block all the streets."

Kolami said he's getting friends and family to help him and his regular staff, and they're going to pare the menu down to one page so they can feed as many people as possible as fast as possible.

"I'll probably come here Thursday morning and not leave from downtown until Sunday ... just take naps from time to time," he said.

Museums, Belle Isle ready

Beyond the city's restaurants, its cultural institutions also said they're ready for crowds and hoping for spillover from the draft frenzy.

At Detroit's Historical Museum, family activities are planned during museum hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sherrie Savage, NFL's arts and Detroit-based proprietor of The Coloring Museum, has created some NFL Draft-themed coloring pages, the museum is hosting coloring tables with finished artwork on display at the museum.

"In addition, we’ve refreshed our unique assortment of vintage Detroit Lions merchandise in the Museum Store, and for those who want a parking hack — note that our parking lot is available for only $9 a day, and we’re just half a block away from the nearest QLine stop," said Historical Museum spokeswoman Sarah Murphy.

At Belle Isle, the nation's second most visited state park behind Niagara Falls, officials are gearing up for crowds who are expected to travel to see Detroit's connecting river to Canada.

"We were lucky in that the draft dates correspond with us bringing back much of our seasonal staff. We plan to be ready for crowds, but expect mostly 'drive-throughs' which are quite common," said Thomas Bissett, park supervisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Bissett said its park clean up event is Saturday and "generally gets a terrific turnout" of volunteers.

"Beyond that, staff have the restrooms open and ready as of last week, and our summer staff have begun prepping our summer trash can placements and readying the picnic spaces," he said.

As for Mitchell, the chef and restaurant owner in Greektown, he's looking forward to the influx of bodies to his restaurant. He said recent street closures and other factors have made it "a rough late winter and early spring."

"We have been placed on life support," Mitchell said. "We're truly hopeful this draft weekend will be very busy and very profitable for us. No reservations, needed, just walk in greeting us with 'what up doe' and welcome to the rebirth of Detroit."

mbaetens@detroitnews.com