MILWAUKEE — Before Sunday afternoon’s tip-off for Game Four of the NBA Playoffs, Michael Guardalabene, the General Manager of Drink Wisconsinbly in the Deer Dristrict, was busy pouring beers and serving customers food and drinks at the bar. 

What You Need To Know

  • Fiserv Forum opened up to 100% capacity for the first time in Game Three of the second round of the NBA Playoffs

  • It was the first fully attended event at Fiserv Forum since before the COVID-19 pandemic

  • The Deer District has been holding watch parties on the plaza for Bucks playoff games

  • This has brought a lot of much needed business to restaurants and businesses in the Deer District and throughout Milwaukee

The staff was getting ready for a crucial Game Four, where the Milwaukee Bucks had the chance to tie the series with the Brooklyn Nets at two games a piece. 

It’s something Guardalabene missed a lot over the last year.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had 17,000 people next door, including, what is it? 13,000 people in the plaza,” said Guardalabene. “So not having that, it was like, we got people in and they enjoyed themselves, but it wasn’t nearly as big."

As Fiserv Forum continued to increase the number of fans allowed inside the building to watch the Bucks, the more business restaurants and bars in the Deer District received. 

Now, the Fiserv Forum is allowing 100% capacity. 

“Going from 2,000 to 2,500 people up to 17,000, that’s a lot of people kind of walking past our door that we can kind of scoop in a little bit ourselves,” Guardalabene said. 

Mark Garelli, who stopped in to Drink Wisconsinbly for a beer with his girlfriend before the game, said he’s glad to see things getting back to normal. After the last year, it's especially important because servers and bartenders lost out on a lot of income because of COVID-19.

“A lot of people took a big hit actually with the COVID thing, now people are actually are all around, it’s great to see everybody back out,” Garelli said. 

Guardalabene said he loves seeing the people back out and about, too. 

He knows more Bucks’ success in the playoffs is huge for him and his business, but he said he also knows after a year without any events at Fiserv Forum, are just around the corner again.

“Any boost that we can get after all of that, I think for anywhere down here is not only welcome, but necessary,” Guardalabene said. 

Fans hope the Bucks can keep winning, so they can keep celebrating. 

“I feel like we’re all together, you know? As a whole family,” Garelli said. "I love Milwaukee, it’s a great town, great people. You can’t beat this town, you really can’t.”