After Bills viewing party on Chippewa sells out, organizers hope to expand

But if the sold-out event is successful and the Bills advance in the playoffs, the program could be expanded to include more businesses.

“We want to ride this all the way right through the Super Bowl and hopefully get a little bigger,” said Jay Manno, owner of Soho restaurant, one of two Chippewa Street restaurants participating in the outdoor event.

“Hopefully this is the litmus test for other restaurants and other places down here and in the city. Maybe Allentown and Hertel and some other places get involved, as well,” Manno added during a press conference Wednesday in front of Soho to announce the Playoffs on the Patio event.

Chris Ring, owner of Rec Room, the other Chippewa restaurant to participate, said, “We’re excited the City of Buffalo embraced the idea. I’m not sure how many other cities, people want to get together and sit out in the freezing cold. It is an open-air environment. There are no heaters. But people here are eager to support the Bills and have a unique dining experience.”

For the event, a little over a half block of Chippewa Street will be closed to vehicular traffic from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday from Franklin Street to the Buffalo Tap House Pub and Grill, at 85 W. Chippewa. Sixty-seven dining tables that seat up to four people will be set up on the street and spaced 6 feet apart for social distancing. There will be two 15-feet televisions – or video walls – for the 268 patrons who have already reserved tables for the open-air event.

Patrons and staff will have wristbands to get into the event.

The restaurants will follow Covid-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as guidelines from the New York State and Erie County health departments, said Mayor Byron W. Brown. Public safety personnel will enforce safety guidelines, as well.

“This is an exciting time for all of us,” Brown said. “We want to celebrate. We want to enjoy this moment, but we want to do that smartly and safely.”

Nearby establishments such as Starbucks Coffee, Jim’s Steak Out and Frankie Primo’s – which Manno also owns – will be open for business during the event but are not a part of it. Individuals do not need wristbands or reservations to patronize those businesses.

Foot traffic will be allowed through the designated area, but pedestrians not part of the event will not be allowed to congregate in the event area, organizers said.

Saturday’s event is part of Buffalo’s Small Business Social Distancing Initiative that started last spring due to Covid-19. The program allows small businesses and restaurants to use open spaces like privately owned parking lots, sidewalks or other city-owned property to create open air seating or retail to maintain safe physical distancing. In November, the city extended the initiative until May of this year.

The idea to host Buffalo’s outdoor viewing party originated from A.J. Baynes, Manno said.

Baynes is the Amherst Chamber of Commerce president who had planned a similar event for several Main Street restaurants in the Village of Williamsville.

However, Williamsville Mayor Deborah Rogers declined to provide a permit, saying in an email statement that "the proposed event is neither a feasible nor a healthy decision for our community" due to factors including the Covid-19 pandemic and the area's current "orange zone" status. 

David Schutte, who owns two of the establishments that would have been included, said he was “very disappointed” for the residents of the Village of Williamsville and Amherst.

“It would have been a wonderful showcase of the village to be able to have,” he said. “But you never know, maybe next week she’ll change her mind.”