Frequent weekend street closures for downtown Des Moines festivals cut into nearby restaurants’ most profitable hours and are worsening an already difficult time for table-service spots, managers of several businesses tell Axios.
Why it matters: Festivals are meant to boost downtown vitality and foot traffic, but if that activity doesn’t translate into restaurant sales, the city could be trading year-round businesses for occasional events.
Driving the news: Django will close permanently on March 14, capping off nearly two decades in the Western Gateway Park area and following Americana, which closed in September after about 15 years…