Federal Hill restaurants busy this Valentine’s Day

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Federal Hill was really feeling the love this Valentine’s Day.

Rick Simone, president of the Federal Hill Commerce Association, said all 50 restaurants were packed Tuesday night.

Simone estimates that 16,000 people visited Federal Hill for Valentine’s Day.

“The numbers have been intense,” Simone said. “It’s probably one of the biggest Valentine’s Day celebrations that I’ve seen since before COVID.”

Ours, which first opened on Federal Hill two years ago, was completely booked Tuesday night.

“It’s definitely the most reservations we’ve taken,” Manager Devin Mendoza said.

Simone hopes this is a precursor to what the rest of the year will look like, especially after years of recovering from the pandemic.

“To have these type of numbers, it’s really a great feeling,” Simone said. “It’s good for the economy, it’s good for the staff, the owners … it’s a really good trickle down effect for us all.”