CLEVELAND —  Laurie Torres, owner of Mallorca Restaurant in Cleveland, said a drink called “Flaming Coffee" is a hit with tourists.

“People from out of town come a lot times just for the sangria that were very popular for and the flaming coffee,” Torres said. 

What You Need To Know

  • Cleveland area establishments were allowed to apply to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. during the NBA All-Star Game Weekend Feb. 18-21

  • Of the 87 establishments that applied for extended alcohol sales, only seven hotels were given approval

  • Despite criticism, Mayor Justin Bibb stood by his recommendation due to health and safety concerns

  • The NBA All-Star Game is expected to bring nearly $100 million in economic benefit to the Cleveland area

She said she applied for a waiver with the City of Cleveland to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. for NBA All-Star Weekend so she could make this drink later at night. But her application was denied, forcing her to cancel a party she had planned for that weekend. She said it would have brought in $22,000. 

“It was kind of assumed that we would get the application approved based on history and the enthusiasm that they sent these applications out with,” Torres said.

Eighty-seven businesses applied for this waiver. The city only approved seven of them — all seven of those businesses are hotels.

Mayor Justin Bibb cited public health concerns, with the support of the city’s public health and public safety departments, for his decision. 

City Council President Blaine Griffin argued that small businesses could have been included. 

“When we market these events, we want to make sure that the community benefits from it. And I really was disappointed that a lot of small businesses couldn’t benefit from this windfall that we anticipate,” Griffin said. 

The Metropolitan at the 9 got approved for the waiver. They said they had plans in place if the city approved or denied their application. General manager Kenny Didier said he’s pumped that they can go forward with later hours. 

“All of our space is full. All of our rooms are sold,” Dieder said.

He said with All-Star Weekend events lasting late into the night, their underground bar, The Vault, can become a post-game destination, opening up a whole new customer base. 

“We’re gonna take full advantage of it, so we’ll be full,” Dieder said.  

Just a few blocks away, Torres said she feels her business is being left out of the $100 million in revenue that’s expected to come to town. 

“I question why that is. Why they didn’t even consider the smaller businesses being considered for something like this, knowing that how much we suffered,” Torres said. 

Officials in Cuyahoga County have said they will promote as many small businesses as possible through social media.

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