Bars and restaurants catering to office workers mixed on how RNC might affect business

Workers at bars and restaurants downtown had mixed reactions to how busy they expect to be during the Republican National Convention, as regulars from nearby offices are more likely working from home or taking the week off to avoid downtown congestion.

Employees said it's unclear how many RNC visitors might venture to Cathedral Square during the event from July 15 to 18.

"We're so far out of the zone," said Zach Dott, manager at Sport Club, 750 N. Jefferson St. "I'm not sure how much business we might get."

He believed that RNC visitors already have reservations elsewhere and will mostly be hanging out closer to Fiserv Forum, where the convention will be held.

Still, the sport bar, which is popular for happy hour, will be "staffed up."

"We're hoping for the best," he said.

Dott said regulars who either live or work nearby have been telling him that they will not be coming in next week, but he still wanted locals to visit.

"I would love that, I just don't expect them to," he said.

Sean Holeman and Rob Behl, both downtown employees, were at Sport Club Tuesday afternoon for lunch. They said they have lunch there two or three times a week, but they would not be meeting for their usual lunch during the RNC.

Holeman took the week off from his job because he did not want to be in Milwaukee while the convention is going on.

"I'm getting out of the city, that's what I'm doing," Holeman said. "There's going to be checkpoints, people searching our cars, it's going to take forever to get into the building, so I'm leaving."

Behl, who works at the East Town Association, said his office would be shut down during the RNC. The group will put on popular Cathedral Square event Bastille Days from July 11 to 14. Behl said the office closure was in-part to give staff a break after Bastille Days, but also in-part because of the RNC.

Behl disagreed with Holeman about how much of an inconvenience that the increased security might be.

"There's going to be a lot of security checkpoints, but they're not going to be as strenuous as people make it out to be," he said.

Discourse Coffee, 1020 N. Broadway, will be closed for the entire convention. Owner Ryan Castelaz was concerned about protests, and other nearby businesses closing offices for the week influenced him to do the same.

"As our downtown cafe is right outside the conference zone, we expect there to be significant turbulence from protestors. MSOE and Direct Supply have told their people to stay off campus for the length of the convention, and we have made the decision to close our downtown cafe for these days as well," Castelaz said in an email.

Azhar Shah, owner of Shah Jee's, in the 770 N. Jefferson St. office building and parking structure, said that his business is 90% people who work nearby. Many customers have told Shah they won't be coming into the office during the RNC, while others were asking about his hours in case they do come downtown.

The Pakistani food spot will be open as usual except on July 16, in observance of Ashura.

Shah said he expects business from tourists. Between his 30-year presence downtown and national attention the business has gotten, including a segment on the Travel Channel, Shah said tourists often seek his space out.

Also in the 770 N. Jefferson office building is Midwest SAD bakery and deli, which opened May 1. Owner Sam Sandrin said she was worried about her business during the RNC, given it only recently opened.

"I'm relatively small. While I am busy and have a lot of business, I'm just starting out," Sandrin said. "I was just more nervous that a lot of my regulars, they're not going to be in the building because everyone is working from home.

"Everyone downtown will not be in their normal places," she said. "All the regulars I see on a regular basis are the key component of my business."

She put out a call on the Milwaukee subreddit encouraging people to try their best to support local restaurants and small businesses during the RNC, saying she was nervous and not sure what to expect.

Her concerns were mostly about the business' location, which could be in the midst of gridlocked traffic during the RNC and is hidden in the basement of the building where unfamiliar pedestrians might not visit.

"How do we actually plan for that?" she said. "I just need to be able to plan."

For now, Midwest SAD will be open its regular hours. In case of slow business, Sandrin plans to sell pastries at other small businesses around Milwaukee.

RELATED: RNC business lower than anticipated for many downtown bars, restaurants and venues

Elsa's on the Park also will be operating business as usual, according to server Chris Collins.

He wasn't concerned, but he didn't have confidence that it would be especially busy.

How many people from nearby offices would still come in for lunch was "hard to predict," he said.

Michael Vitucci, owner of Belmont Tavern, said he would likely lose usual downtown customers for the week, but he wasn't concerned because of the increase in visitors from surrounding hotels.

"We'll be offset by those walking around downtown," he said. "We might take a little hit here and there, but we'll make up for it in the evening."

He overall felt that Milwaukee's service industry will benefit from the RNC.

"No matter your political stance, there are people coming here who need to enjoy it and come and revisit," he said. "This is a time to be excited about Milwaukee."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cathedral Square bars and restaurants not sure what to expect for RNC