Heather Curtis
WMAL.com

WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Restaurants near the Capital One Arena expect to be packed during Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals Thursday as viewing parties happen inside and outside the arena during the away game. If the Caps beat the Golden Knights, they will win the Stanley Cup for the first time in the team’s history.

“All hands on deck, and there’s not one team member that does not want to be a part of it,” said David Doyle who manages the Green Turtle’s F Street NW location.

During Game 4, the Green Turtle had to stop letting people in until others had left because the restaurant had reached capacity – about 500 people inside and another 44 on the patio – according to Doyle.

Neighboring Clyde’s on 7th Street NW has also seen standing room only crowds for both home and away games during the Stanley Cup Finals according to manager Rick Fowler. Between its tables and four bars, Fowler estimates the restaurant holds about 1,000 people.

To accommodate the crowds, Fowler said all of the employees at Clyde’s Gallery Place location will be working Thursday night. There will also be more security, even though Fowler said nobody has gotten out of control during recent games.

“We’re gonna be well staffed in preparation for anything, but, you know, I’m expecting a continuation of what we’ve seen, which is just a lot of really happy Washingtonians enjoying the game,” Fowler told WMAL.

The puck drops at 8 p.m.

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