City Center COO expects Sports & Social to help with Allentown's revitalization

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Sports & Social is officially open in downtown Allentown.

"We love everything about City Center, we love everything about Allentown. The expansion of our brand from what we do at Xfinity Live in Philadelphia. So many people know us from there, so we could not be more thrilled," said Scott Steenrod, COO of Live! Dining and Entertainment.

It's replacing the Hamilton Kitchen and Bar.

It's a concept from the Cordish Companies, the same minds behind Xfinity Live! in Philadelphia.

"Our entire management team is local and we use their knowledge to shape the entire experience with the local community in mind. From the design, sports memorabilia, beers from Fegley's and Bru Daddy's," Steenrod said.

The 8,000-square-foot space has two bars with dining and nightlife, as well as social games and an outdoor bar and patio.

"Our signature feature you can't miss is our 25-foot video wall," Steenrod said.

It's one of the first major outside investments in the downtown.

"This has been a little while coming. It took us a while to build our apartments, our offices here, but now we feel like we're just cusping," said City Center COO Judy Borrelli.

She says it's the next step in the city's revitalization.

"I think this is going to be more of a regional draw. It's not just our downtown which is nice because that gives the opportunity for people to start to socialize, which is part of their name," Borrelli said.

Sports & Social will be open until midnight on weeknights and 2 a.m. on weekends. 

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