MILWAUKEE — The streets just blocks from the Republican National Convention security zones are empty. Not only was there no business bump early in the RNC, but some restaurants downtown weren’t able to depend on their lunchtime regulars.
“It’s a little disappointing,” Zach Dott observed on the second official day of the event. He’s the General Manager at SportClub on N Jefferson St & E Mason St.
“You’ve got a lot of people coming to town. Thought they’d make their way to all the business around.”
Dott said it appears many Downtown Milwaukee employees are working remotely this week.
“I don’t think they’re in the office right now,” he told WTMJ. “I think a lot of people just tried to steer clear of the area.”
On Cathedral Square, it’s the same story at Elsa’s.
“A lot of servers looked very bored. It was definitely not what we were expecting,” said Dan Wolf, a bartender there.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson admits he’s hearing those complaints.
“While it’s absolutely true that millions and millions of dollars will be spent in connection with the convention, that money is not necessarily flowing through every single corner of the economy,” Mayor Johnson said. “I’ve heard some restaurants and businesses downtown were expecting a little bit more,” he explained at his daily RNC news briefing.
Many area businesses are benefiting from booked events. It seems walk-in traffic is limited for many, particularly outside the security zones.
TOP HEADLINES FROM THE 620 WTMJ NEWS TEAM:
- VIDEO: Body camera footage of King Park shooting, residents react
- Bob Uecker tells Fox why he keeps broadcasting: “I don’t have anything else to do!”
- Milwaukee Bucks expected to sign sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr. on minimum contract
- Columbus police officers kill Milwaukee man accused of brandishing knives near King Park
- RNC 2024 Day 3: Letdown for Downtown Milwaukee businesses — Decision Wisconsin Live Blog
READ: Donald Trump Jr. reflects on the assassination attempt on his father – Wisconsin’s Afternoon News
