Since opening in early November, 716 Food and Sport has been a big hit. The place has been busy on a regular basis, and now we are hearing reports that the wait times are not getting any shorter. In fact, one patron recently waited for two hours to get in (with his family), and ended up walking out. Other families from the HarborCenter hockey tourney ventured up the street in search of restaurants, not wanting to wait in lines for a table. Of course there are some times that are better than others when looking to sit down and eat. It’s also common sense that when there are Bills and Sabres games underway, you can expect longer lines than usual.
So what does this all mean? Well, if you’re familiar with the saying, “If you build it, they will come,” that expression is àpropos in this instance. It also means that the next restaurants in line to open will most likely experience a feeding frenzy, by merely accommodating the patrons that can’t get a table at 716. While 716 might look gigantic, it wasn’t set up to handle the masses that continue to show up. This leaves big opportunities for others (see here) that are already on their way to the rescue.
All in all, the initial response to 716 is a bit overwhelming, yet expected at the same time. By creating a heavy hitting restaurant destination in downtown Buffalo, people are clamoring to get in. It just goes to show that Buffalonians are excited to support the businesses that go out on a limb to create exciting and different destinations. The response bodes well for more business to come, whether that means restaurants or retail shops.