AND IT’S GOING TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SECURITY EVENTS MILWAUKEE HAS EVER SEEN. TAKE A LOOK AT THE SECURITY ZONES WE’RE GOING TO PUT ON THE SCREEN FOR YOU HERE ON THE YELLOW AREA OF THE SCREEN IS WHERE PEOPLE WILL BE SCREENED, BUT WILL BE ALLOWED TO MOVE AROUND. THE RED AREA IS RESTRICT TO ONLY PEOPLE WITH CREDENTIALS WILL BE ALLOWED THERE. 12 NEWS ERIKA FINK HAS A DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT OWNERS WHO’S OUTSIDE BOTH PERIMETERS AND THINKS RNC WEEK COULD BE A BUST FOR HIS BUSINESS. GREGORY LEON STILL HAS HOPES OF CASHING IN ON THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION. WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS JUST GOING TO BE A CASH COW FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED, ESPECIALLY EVERYBODY DOWNTOWN. 20 DAYS OUT FROM THE BIG EVENT, LEON SAYS HE STILL DOESN’T HAVE ANY RNC RESERVATIONS AT AMELINDA. HIS DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT AT BROADWAY AND WISCONSIN. AT THIS POINT, WE’RE FEELING THAT WE’LL BE HAPPY WITH WHAT WE GET TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, BECAUSE ZOMBIELAND IS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE SECURITY ZONE. LEON DOESN’T KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE TABLES WILL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO FILL DURING THE RNC WEEK. A LOT OF OUR REGULARS WERE TELLING US, WE’RE NOT COMING DOWNTOWN THAT WEEK. LEON SAYS HE PLANNED TO SERVE LUNCH DURING THE RNC AND OPEN ON DAYS HE’S NORMALLY CLOSED, BUT AFTER TALKING TO RESTAURANT OWNERS AND OTHER CITIES THAT HOSTED CONVENTIONS, LEON NOW SAYS HE CAN’T WAIT FOR THE CONVENTION TO BE OVER. AND THEY’RE LIKE, UNLESS YOU’RE IN THE SECURITY ZONE, YOU GET SCRAPS AND MAYBE THAT YOU KNOW WHERE LOCATED NEXT TO A LOT OF THE HOTELS. SO WE WERE HOPING MAYBE THAT WOULD HELP US OUT. YOU KNOW, THEY JUST TELL US NOT TO BE PREPARED FOR A GIGANTIC INFLUX OF CASH BECAUSE IT’S NOT THE CASE. VISIT MILWAUKEE SAYS THE RNC WILL GENERATE NEARLY $200 MILLION FOR THE LOCAL ECONOMY. VE. WE KNEW IT WOULD GENERATE SIGNIFICANT SHORT AND LONG TERM ECONOMIC IMPACT. I CAN’T BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH THIS IS CREATED THROUGHOUT THE LAST TWO YEARS SINCE IT WAS ANNOUNCED. LEON THINKS THE BIGGEST IMPACT WILL BE ON BUSINESSES INSIDE THE HARD SECURITY ZONE. BUT HE SAYS AMALINDA WILL BE PREPARED NO MATTER WHAT. IT WILL BE GREAT FOR TOURISM NEXT YEAR OR THE YEAR AFTER. THAT’S GREAT AND I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT LIKE MAYBE NOT SET THOSE EXPECTATIONS SO HIGH. YOU KNOW, IT’S BETTER TO BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAN DISAPPOINTED IN MILWAUKEE ERIC FINK WISN 12 NEWS AND I’M LINDA MANAGEMENT PLANS TO HAVE THE RESTAURANT OPEN THROUGH THURSDAY, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FOR DINNER WITH THE OP
Milwaukee restaurant owner thinks RNC could be a bust for his small business
Amilinda is blocks from the RNC security perimeter; the owner thinks that could cost him business
Less than three weeks out from the Republican National Convention, restaurant owner Gregory León says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about cashing in one of the biggest security events Milwaukee has ever seen. But León said Amilinda, his downtown restaurant at North Broadway and East Wisconsin Avenue, still doesn’t have any RNC reservations. The business is blocks outside the U.S. Secret Service’s RNC security perimeter, released on Friday.”We were told that this was just going to be a cash cow for everybody involved, especially everybody downtown, and it’s looking more and more like that is not necessarily going to be the case,” León said. Amilinda was originally going to serve lunch during the RNC and open on Monday and Tuesday, days the business is normally closed. After talking with restaurant owners in other cities that hosted conventions, León was forced to rethink those extra hours.”They’re like, ‘unless you’re in the security zone, you get scraps and maybe that.’ You know, we’re located next to a lot of the hotels, so we were hoping maybe that would help us out,” León said. “You know, they just tell us not to be prepared for a gigantic influx of cash because it’s not the case.”Visit Milwaukee has said the RNC will generate nearly $200 million for the local economy with short term and long term impacts.León thinks the biggest impact will be on businesses inside the hard security zone, but he said Amilinda will be prepared no matter what. “It’ll be great for tourism next year or the year after. That’s great, and I understand that. But like, maybe not set those expectations so high. You know, it’s better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed,” León said.Amilinda will be open Monday through Thursday of the convention for dinner with the option to extend into the morning hours, depending on demand. León said they will have a discount for members of the armed services, security and press.
MILWAUKEE —
Less than three weeks out from the Republican National Convention, restaurant owner Gregory León says he’s “cautiously optimistic” about cashing in one of the biggest security events Milwaukee has ever seen.
But León said Amilinda, his downtown restaurant at North Broadway and East Wisconsin Avenue, still doesn’t have any RNC reservations. The business is blocks outside the U.S. Secret Service’s RNC security perimeter, released on Friday.
“We were told that this was just going to be a cash cow for everybody involved, especially everybody downtown, and it’s looking more and more like that is not necessarily going to be the case,” León said.
Amilinda was originally going to serve lunch during the RNC and open on Monday and Tuesday, days the business is normally closed.
After talking with restaurant owners in other cities that hosted conventions, León was forced to rethink those extra hours.
“They’re like, ‘unless you’re in the security zone, you get scraps and maybe that.’ You know, we’re located next to a lot of the hotels, so we were hoping maybe that would help us out,” León said. “You know, they just tell us not to be prepared for a gigantic influx of cash because it’s not the case.”
Visit Milwaukee has said the RNC will generate nearly $200 million for the local economy with short term and long term impacts.
León thinks the biggest impact will be on businesses inside the hard security zone, but he said Amilinda will be prepared no matter what.
“It’ll be great for tourism next year or the year after. That’s great, and I understand that. But like, maybe not set those expectations so high. You know, it’s better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed,” León said.
Amilinda will be open Monday through Thursday of the convention for dinner with the option to extend into the morning hours, depending on demand.
León said they will have a discount for members of the armed services, security and press.