Altoona’s fine dining restaurants are gearing up for their busiest night of the year — New Year’s Eve. The fact the holiday falls on a Saturday this year is a boon, business owners said.

“People look forward to going out on Saturday night and it being New Year’s Eve makes it better,” said Frank Finelli, owner of Finelli’s Italian Villa.

“People don’t go out to just drink any more, they like to go out for a nice dinner,” he said.

Dan Taddei, owner of The Allegro Restaurant, expects the restaurant and staff to be maxed out on New Year’s Eve.

“We will take what we can handle,” he said, noting there are a lot of factors restaurants need to take into consideration, including the weather, the flu and staffing.

“We need to monitor times so we have smooth flow,” he said.

Since pandemic restrictions have eased, people are looking to get out and enjoy themselves, and that has made the entire holiday season “super” for his business, Finelli said.

“People want to get back out, it’s been a great party season,” he said.

A forecast for mild weather this weekend will also be a plus, he said, adding that people looking to make New Year’s Eve reservations should be calling early.

“New Year’s Eve is our biggest night of the year,” Finelli said. “We are looking forward to it.”

Business seems to be back to normal, Taddei said.

“We are in pretty good shape,” he said. “I am happy with where we are at; we are very fortunate.”

While New Year’s Eve evening doesn’t draw a crowd at Traditions Restaurant in Martinsburg, the day brings in a lot of people in the morning hours.

“New Year’s Eve for us is typically not super busy,” said General Manager Tyler Zimmerman. “We always have a good crowd for breakfast and lunch, but it dies down.”

Zimmerman said some customers do come in for a quiet dinner, but many people go out to other venues for traditional New Year’s Eve activities.

The restaurant has been busy, he said, and is grateful for customers’ support.

“Two years ago, we were shut down over Christmas,” Zimmerman said, adding that the restaurant business has picked back up and “we haven’t slowed down.”

A survey by the National Restaurant Association found that 77% of consumers planned to let restaurants do some of their cooking during the holiday season, with 57% planning to go out to eat at a restaurant and 50% planning to order takeout or delivery. One in four consumers planned to do both.

“During the holidays — maybe more than any other time of the year — we work to make meaningful connections with people in our lives. The restaurants in our communities provide the space and the comfort to do that while sharing a meal,” said Michelle Korsmo, president & CEO of the National Restaurant Association, in a statement.

“When you choose restaurants, you get the flavors you crave without grocery shopping and preparation. You get familiar holiday dishes, without the dishes to wash. You get beloved traditions, without all the preparations. When you let restaurants do the cooking, restaurants let you take a holiday from the holidays.”

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 8124-946-7467.