MILWAUKEE — It was a unique week for Milwaukee businesses located near the Republican National Convention, which had to figure out the best way to capture business.
Some businesses in Milwaukee said they didn’t get the boost in their bottom lines that they hoped for; others said profits soared.
Marc Bianchini and his wife, Marta, own Cubanitas in downtown Milwaukee. The restaurant serves authentic Cuban food and was within walking distance of the main convention area.
Bianchini said they started strategizing months ago and made a plan based on the size of their restaurant and the need in their area.
“We can’t sell to a group, we’re not big enough, so we didn’t try to go for the sell-out because we knew that that was a bad strategy,” Bianchini said. “So, we said, ‘Okay, what can we capture?’ And it’s exactly what we did. We captured the media, the security, the independent that was just coming to visit to just go to the RNC.”
Cubanitas extended its normal business hours each convention day. Bianchini said there were ebbs and flows throughout each day, but ultimately, the business saw a 40% increase in profits this past week.
“So basically, what we were doing is we were capturing people [that] were on their way to organized events and also people at the end of the night,” he said.
Djdade Denson co-owns Coffee Makes You Black, located a few miles north of the perimeter. He said he didn’t get as much business as he had hoped, but still sees the RNC as a win for the city.
Denson said he did make some good connections when he traveled downtown for supplies.
“You get to have a few interesting conversations with people you might not have met before who are in town. You invite them down and you can make some business happen that way. There are definitely opportunities, it’s just kind of how you look at it,” Denson said.
Bianchini said he was grateful for the opportunity to be part of the historic week.
“I think it was just being part of history and not getting political about it, just to witness something like this happen here in our city, I think was pretty cool,” Bianchini said.
