Businesses in Milwaukee are expressing discontent with the planning surrounding the Republican National Convention as the city is set to host the event next week.
Many prominent venue spaces in downtown Milwaukee will likely sit empty during the convention as they have not yet been booked, and restaurants cite a lack of reservations ahead of the event. The RNC will take place July 15-18 in Wisconsin‘s most populous city, where former President Donald Trump will officially become the Republican presidential nominee.
While 50,000 delegates will descend upon the midwestern city in the coming days, business owners are concerned by the lack of bookings.
“It’s 100% a case of ‘overpromise, underdeliver,’ on all parts, by everybody,” Gary Witt, president and CEO of the Pabst Theatre Group, told the Recombobulation Area last month. Pabst Theatre Group owns the Pabst Theater, Riverside Theater, and the Vivarium, all of which Witt says are not booked for any events during the RNC.
“We were told it was going to be one way over and over and over and over again when [the RNC] was confirmed, and it has turned out to be almost anything but the way that we were told it was going to turn out,” he said. “We were sold a storyline of how this is going to go, and basically it didn’t go anything at all like the storyline that we were sold.”
Witt said the planning surrounding the RNC has been a “failure” and “underwhelming.” He also said his company is in contact with other Milwaukee businesses who have expressed the same sentiment. A Milwaukee restaurant owner also said it’s been a “disappointment.”
“From an events standpoint—dining, private events, parties, shut-down-the-restaurant, etc.—the convention has absolutely been a disappointment,” Cindi McLeod, spokeswoman for Lupi & Iris, a restaurant in Milwaukee, told the Recombobulation Area. “There are not as many inquiries as hoped, and in general terms, there is not a lot of excitement around the convention. I’m sad for Milwaukee. We really wanted this. We really wanted to shine. We were really excited to host these events.”
One restaurant owner went as far as to say the event would be a “business killer” for the city.
“I have a feeling this is going to be a business killer,” Amilinda chef and owner Gregory Leon said. “If the [reservation] book stays the way it is, we’re not going to make enough money to cover costs.”
While Milwaukee was previously set to host the Democratic National Convention in 2020, in-person events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Witt said the lack of event bookings this year have nothing to do with VISIT Milwaukee, the city’s tourism arm, but placed the blame solely on the RNC.
“This is about the city in general, and frankly, (the RNC) did promise, because (they) talked about the economic impact for the city,” Witt said. “I think VISIT has worked very hard on this, completely. They put in a lot of effort, but they can only control so much.”
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”This business that we own operates only in the city of Milwaukee, and for us to succeed, the city of Milwaukee has to succeed, and at this point in time, I don’t see the RNC delivering that kind of success,” Witt said. “That kind of anticipated economic impact that everyone was high-fiving and champagne-popping and press conferencing about. At this point in time, none of that really has come true, for the most part.”
The Washington Examiner contacted the RNC for comment.