RESTAURANT NEWS Can the downtown restaurant scene recover? Lack of foot traffic is taking its toll

Can the downtown restaurant scene recover? Lack of foot traffic is taking its toll

When asked how business was going at his downtown Neopolitan Italian restaurant Partenope, still in its first year of operation, chef and co-owner Dino Santonicola’s answer was to the point — “I have one word for you: bad.”

Downtown Dallas restaurants were given a one-two punch by the pandemic and largely peaceful protests in May that for at least one night turned destructive. Today, with few visitors coming to the historic commercial center, some restaurants are at risk of closing while others work to recuperate.

“I used to get phone calls asking, ‘Where can I park?’ Now, people are calling to ask, ‘Is it safe down there?’” Santonicola says.