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

Mere weeks away from the Republican National Convention, few bars and restaurants near Fiserv Forum and elsewhere downtown are reporting bookings for private events during the four-day convention, a major letdown for business owners who had been promised or expected big business.

The Pabst Theater Group does not have any bookings at four of its venues, including the Riverside Theater and Pabst Theater. Upscale downtown restaurants, such as Amilinda and Lupi and Iris, have few to no bookings or reservations for the four days of the RNC. And many bars and restaurants on North King Drive don't have any bookings for private events, including Who's On Third, Oak Barrel, Third Street Tavern, LP and Old German Beer Hall.

"It's disappointing for us but I am, as always, more concerned about the city overall," said Gary Witt, CEO of the Pabst Theater Group. "After all that spiking the football that was done after getting the RNC, you're going to see that a lot of restaurants and bars and coffee shops are going to be impacted negatively."

The lack of bookings this close to the convention is disappointing for owners of bars, restaurants and event venues, some of whom signed contracts with the nonpartisan MKE 2024 Host Committee to hold their venues for convention-related bookings. The Republican National Convention, set to take place July 15-18 at Fiserv Forum, has been sold by its backers as a major economic driver that will bring big economic impact to surrounding businesses and the region.

On top of the Pabst and Riverside, Witt said he did not have any bookings for The Fitzgerald or the Vivarium, east-side venues also operated by Pabst Theater Group. Turner Hall, another of the group's venues across the street from Fiserv, is being rented by CNN, he said, a news outlet that the group previously developed a relationship with.

Witt said the Pabst Theater Group signed an agreement with the host committee in March to hold its venues for convention-related bookings July 14-19. By the time it was released from that agreement at the end of May, without any events scheduled at those four venues, Witt was unable to book anything else, he said.

He estimated the loss from unrealized bookings in that time frame to be over $100,000.

"Right now we're getting a nothing burger," Witt said. "It's looking like our hopes and goals for the RNC are not going to be what we had been told."

In a statement, the RNC's Committee on Arrangements said the convention would be a net positive for Wisconsin.

"The RNC has never been in the business of telling business owners how to market or run their companies," the statement said. "At the end of the day of we have upwards of 50,000 guests coming to Milwaukee. After the (Democratic National Convention) left Milwaukee high and dry, the Republican National Convention looks forward to highlighting Milwaukee on the international stage in July."

Lupi and Iris, other popular restaurants disappointed by lack of bookings during RNC

Adam Siegel, owner of Lupi and Iris, a fine-dining restaurant downtown, said his biggest frustration was with the host committee and feeling led to believe the convention would result in big business for him and others.

"So far, it's turning out to be nothing like what was promised, said or spoken about from the get-go," he said.

Siegel also signed a contract with the host committee this past winter to make his restaurant unavailable to any outside bookings that were not related to the convention, he said. When the contract expired in May, he had no bookings and reopened the restaurant to reservations from the general public.

"It's just disappointing. Not only did we as a city spend a lot of money on resources to get the RNC, and have all these restaurants and bars get hyped and excited, and now it's like nobody is coming," he said.

Lupi and Iris did eventually get a convention-related booking for a dinner in its private room, but the restaurant will be open to the public for regular service during the convention. Siegel said it was unclear if the booking came through the host committee.

He speculated that people weren't excited about the presidential candidates this year and that is why the convention is lackluster.

"When a candidate calls our city horrible, it doesn’t help us any. It makes me not want to host someone who is going to act like that," Siegel said, referring to comments made by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. "We have an amazing city here and I just wanted to showcase it."

Discounts requested by potential RNC clients

Even worse, Siegel said, RNC parties that have inquired about the space in recent weeks have asked him to lower his price point for bookings.

"It makes me feel like I'm getting taken advantage of because they know not many people are coming. I don’t want to feel like I'm being taken advantage of," he said. "My rent's not being discounted that week, and with all the money that we've spent on entertaining people or building up for this as a city, why should we discount it?"

Lupi and Iris was a finalist for Best New Restaurant in the country by the James Beard Foundation the year it opened in 2022. Siegel also won James Beard Foundation's best chef in the Midwest award in 2008 when he worked at Lake Park Bistro.

A month out, Siegel was not sure what to expect for the RNC. He does believe he will get some convention-related business from people other than delegates, such as lobbyists and businesspeople.

Siegel also hopes locals will still come downtown.

"I hope that those who are still in town, if they have anything they want to celebrate or have business plans of their own, to visit me and other local restaurants," he said.

More: Will Milwaukee be a boom town or a ghost town during the RNC? Cleveland provides clues.

Eric Wagern, CEO of Lowlands Restaurant Group, also said their bookings were lower than expected.

"It seemed like there was a lot more activity and a lot earlier when the DNC was here," Wagner said. "We've had some conference calls with organizers. Their messaging was that it was really going to pick up, and we haven’t seen that."

Cafe Benelux in the Third Ward is the one space that does have some private bookings.

He said that he anticipates Cafe Benelux will be the most affected by the RNC, but the rest of their restaurant group, which includes Cafe Hollander locations and Centraal Grand Cafe in Bay View, won't be impacted due to its residential locations.

"I think that locals are going to want to go out. A lot of places won't be accessible in the city," he said.

Few bars near Fiserv Forum have bookings

Bars and restaurants near Fiserv and within the half-square-mile security zone have reported no bookings, or fewer bookings than they had when the DNC was scheduled to come to town four years ago, before it became a largely virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I've been putting it this way – for the DNC, I was fully booked across the board in January," said Jake Dehne, owner of RWB Milwaukee and Lucky Clover on North King Drive, just a block from the arena. "Right now I am 50% booked for the convention. But still, I have some while others have none."

Up the street on North King Drive, Whitetail also has a confirmed booking.

Bars where management said they did not have bookings as of early June include Who's On Third, Oak Barrel, Third Street Tavern, Camp Bar, LP ― and Old German Beer Hall.

"It’s a long, narrow building with a bar in it. We are not the usual suspect for bookings but (for) the DNC we had inquiries before COVID hit," Old German Beer Hall owner Han Weissgerber said. "I want this thing to succeed. Maybe my venue just isn’t suitable. If I was hearing that my neighbors were booked out, I'd be like, alright, that’s awesome, we can get scraps. But if the bigger fish aren’t getting anything, what the hell am I supposed to expect?"

Though the lack of private event bookings is worrisome for bar and restaurant owners near Fiserv, it doesn't necessarily mean they will be left out of the economic impact — if the foot traffic provided by convention goers, protesters and members of the media makes up for the disruption in normal business.

All of those bars are located within the security zone, where delegates, media and protesters may be milling about. That zone will have heightened security in place and some road closures.

Mixed results, uncertainty for bars, restaurants outside security zone

Meanwhile, a mile away, outside the security zone, Central Standard Crafthouse and Kitchen is booked out in the evening Monday through Wednesday of the RNC. Co-owner Evan Hughes said they were working on scheduling lunch bookings as well.

He said his location was key.

"We're fortunate in our location that a lot of hotels horseshoe around us," Hughes said. "Our job in hospitality is to welcome guests. We love being part of the tourism business in Milwaukee, and we want the city to shine."

More: 'Top Chef' finalist's DanDan restaurant worries about losing business during RNC

Amilinda, a downtown Milwaukee restaurant serving Spanish and Portuguese-inspired cuisine, doesn't have any bookings, and chef and owner Greg León doesn't expect his regulars to stop in during the convention.

But the restaurant is within a block of a couple hotels and he hopes to get business from members of the media or others in town for the convention, he said.

The restaurant will be open for dinner all four nights of the convention, whereas normally it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, León said. The restaurant also will stay open late, he said, though closing time will depend on how busy it is.

A James Beard Award-nominated chef, León had initially planned to expand the restaurant's hours to be open for lunch during the convention. But he scrapped that plan after calculating the cost and coming to the conclusion he didn't know if business would keep up with the added expense.

"I’ve actually talked to some businesses in other cities that have hosted conventions and they say unless you’re in the security zone, you’re pretty much not getting anything," he said.

Amilinda is located outside the security zone, on the east side of the Milwaukee River and less than a 20-minute walk from Fiserv and the other convention sites.

"We don't know what it's going to be like," León said. "As opposed to our normal business where we’re driven by reservations, I kind of suspect this is going to be more of a walk-in situation."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: RNC deemed a 'nothing burger' for many downtown restaurants, venues