Veishea can bring a lot of people to town, and many Ames restaurant owners say they are getting ready for increased business.

Helen Romsey, manager of Perkins Restaurant, 325 S. Duff Ave., said last year, they served nearly 5,000 people between Friday and Sunday of Veishea.

“That’s lots of people when you talk about the weekends,” she said.

Romsey said to prepare for such a crowd, Perkins doubles the number of employees working each shift and orders an increased amount of products.

“We just want to make sure we have enough,” she said.

Brian Glenn, manager of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 105 Chestnut St., said they are expecting to have about 3,300 guests this weekend.

“Last year, was not quite as busy as the past, maybe because [Veishea] was dry,” Glenn said.

Even though Veishea is alcohol free once again, Glenn said he doesn’t think it will attract fewer customers. However, he said inclement weather will be an important factor. He said if it is raining, fewer people usually come in for a meal.

Tammy Little, manager of Hickory Park Restaurant, 1404 S. Duff Ave., also said the number of customers will depend on the weather, but she expected rain to have a positive effect on business.

“Last year, [the weather] was beautiful,” she said, “so the restaurant wasn’t busy until about 4 p.m.”

Little said Veishea’s alcohol-free status will have no effect on the number of people who eat at Hickory Park. Families still will be out and about even though the event is dry, so business will not be affected at all, she said.

Romsey agreed that dry Veishea will not affect the number of customers at her place of business either. She said she hasn’t ever seen much of a difference, in part because Perkins does not serve alcohol.

All of the managers said they haven’t had any problems in the past with disorderly conduct from customers in their restaurants.

“The crowd out here isn’t the rowdy crowd,” Glenn said.