‘Bring the people’: Milwaukee bars looking forward to a busy summer after years of challenges

This summer, particularly July, is shaping up to be one of the busiest in recent Milwaukee history.

The Republican National Convention is coming to town. Harley-Davidson is hosting another anniversary festival. The Bucks are headed to the playoffs again and could play into late June. All that plus the usual street and ethnic festivals, Milwaukee Air and Water show, and of course, Summerfest.

In recent years issues like staffing and food shortages have plagued Milwaukee's service industry, sometimes making it difficult to maintain a level of service when things got busy. But now most bar and restaurant owners say they have rebounded and are ready for a jam-packed three months.

"Bring the people. We can handle it," said Jeno Cataldo, owner of of Jo-Cat's, Dorsia and St. Bibiana, all on East Brady Street.

"I think staffing, it was an issue, but now we're stocked and locked and loaded with an amazing staff," he said "Coming out of COVID, it was hard, but that’s in the past."

While many bars and restaurants are looking forward to the RNC, Cataldo expects the last weekend in July, when the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival takes place, to be their busiest. Another big day will be Brady Street Fest, which was moved one week earlier from its usual last Saturday in July in order to not interfere with the motorcycle festival.

Cataldo said that Harley weekend has become similar to Sturgis, one of the largest motorcycle rallies in the country.

"There are so many memories that are made with these Harley events. We love the idea of having it every year," he said.

Milwaukee becoming a top summer getaway

With so much going on, Cataldo said Milwaukee is one of the top summer destinations in the country.

"I grew up on Brady Street and I love Milwaukee becoming a party destination, almost the same way Nashville has done it. People plan around coming to Milwaukee in the summer," he said. "Milwaukee in general is set up for summers like this. We have a huge festival grounds on the lakefront just used for celebrating, and the parks used for hosting. We have plenty of places for people to hang out all over the city."

Michael Eitel, who owns Nomad World Pub, 1401 E. Brady St., said that not only does he expect his bar to be busy for Milwaukee events, but also for soccer games, which the bar is known for showing.

The Euro Cup and Copa America are both taking place this summer, and both have championship games on July 14.

"We'll be showing a ton of soccer for six weeks," Eitel said. "It's going to be an interesting six or seven weeks from mid-June to the end of July."

Eitel also owns three food and drink spots in the Cathedral Square neighborhood: Sport Club, Barrel Burrito Co., and Experts Only.

He said the usual summer programming from the East Town Neighborhood Association, including Jazz in the Park on Thursday nights and Bastille Days July 11-14, will provide a boost to the area this summer.

"Cathedral Square is really starting to pick up again post-COVID. I'm excited to see that," Eitel said. "Brady is always really busy in the summer, but I think this one is going to be much busier.

"There's so much coming into town; we want to take advantage of those opportunities. We don’t get summers like this," he said.

Eitel hopes that it makes up for losing the in-person Democratic National Convention in 2020, which was largely virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other things have changed since the pandemic to make the summer busier, including Summerfest's layout. Instead of being a 10-day run from the last week of June to the first week of July, it now takes place over three weekends, overlapping with more summer events and making for an even busier July.

"There's so much competition, with small events and Summerfest being three weekends now. There's only so many weekends that we have. There's so much nonstop," Eitel said. "It's awesome. There's no better place to be in the summer than Milwaukee."

With so much going on, Eitel said that having enough staff is something that he has to prepare for now.

"For Nomad, we're used to that. We've been doing large soccer events for decades," he said. "This year, with these other things coming to town, the seasonal staffing is going to be critical, so you have to prepare for that now while it's still preseason, and get everything ready for the summer.

"It's been a long winter for a lot of people in this industry, and I hope that we're ready for it," Eitel said.

RNC will add to an already busy summer

While the RNC is going to be a boost for the service industry, there are a lot of other things contributing to the busy summer, too.

"Even without RNC it would be a much busier summer than normal, with Summerfest, Harley Fest, which rolls into the Northwestern Mutual conference. People are itching to get out," said Evan Hughes, co-owner of Central Standard Craft Distillery, which has the Crafthouse and Kitchen at 320 E. Clybourn St.

He said they make sure to be ready to be involved with events that are happening around them, whether it's for people parking downtown to head to the Summerfest grounds or events a little farther away on the lakefront.

"We do some fun stuff on the aviary for the Air and Water show. It's all about being able to be nimble to best serve and add value to these events," he said.

Hughes said he is looking forward to the busy summer.

"For everyone — whether it's Central Standard or a restaurant downtown — it's been a challenge, with food costs and building the right team," he said. "Having a celebratory summer where everything is busy, and getting back to doing what we can do best, is definitely needed and is welcome."

The busy summer can make for a tiring but lucrative season for those in the industry.

"Were going to need every staff member, and they'll have to work long days, but it's going to be worth it," said Mike Vituccci, who owns Uncle Buck's, 1125 N. King Drive, near Fiserv Forum, where the RNC will be held.

"Milwaukee is becoming a destination, and that is fabulous. We're looking forward to the RNC because of my location. I'm right in the (security) perimeter," he said.

Vitucci also owns The Belmont Tavern, 784 N. Jefferson St., and Izzy Hops, 2311 N. Murray Ave.

"We're connected to the hotel business. If those are busy, we're going to be busy, too," he said. "Especially at Belmont on Jefferson, because that is really hotel-driven. We're just crazy busy there in summer."

'Top Chef: Wisconsin,' Bucks success also give the city a boost

Not only will the RNC increase tourism, but Vitucci said that Wisconsin (and mostly Milwaukee) hosting this season of Bravo's "Top Chef" will help the city as well.

"Milwaukee has a lot of spotlight nationwide. It’s a really nice place to visit," he said. "'Top Chef' makes Milwaukee look like a gorgeous city, which it is. It's nice for the city."

Vitucci said Milwaukee has a strong dining scene, and that it has only improved in recent years.

"I think that 2020 kicked the legs off most operators where they said, 'Hey, I have to survive,' and those who survived are skilled, experienced and have money to back them," he said.

Tino Bates welcomes a busy summer for his bars Truth Lounge, 1111 N. King. Dr., and Allure, 789 N. Jefferson St. He said his bars always do better when the Bucks play well, so last year was a disappointment when the team was upset in the first round of the playoffs.

"The Bucks came up kind of short last year," Bates said. "Hopefully they can go to the final rounds this year. The further they go, the better we do."

He said that the city bringing in the RNC after losing the DNC should also be a good way to make up business.

"I think the city is doing a great job at bringing in the RNC after losing the DNC with COVID. That was a damper," he said. "Getting the RNC is a great step. The city is doing a great job and keeping these festivals here, and heading those to make sure they go well and are safe.

"All of those things, Summerfest, getting people out in the summer, you get to see people coming out getting a cocktail or two afterwards," Bates said. "As long as the city keeps doing a great job at getting people out, we'll be in a great space."

While downtown bars plan to benefit from big events like the RNC and Summerfest, neighborhood bars are hoping for a boost, too, but owners said they rely more on local street festivals to bring in customers in the summer.

"I'm hoping to be more busy with the RNC," said Valerie Wingo, who owns Club Manhattan, 2573 N. Phillips Ave. "I definitely need a busy summer. Business, it could be better, so anything can help."

While she wasn't sure how much business she would get from the RNC (the bar is about 1.5 miles north of Fiserv Forum), she is looking forward to other neighborhood events.

"There’s a couple street festivals that come near my bar like Juneteenth, Garfield Days, Bronzeville — those are always busy," Wingo said. "I'm looking forward to this summer. Let's get rid of all this snow and hopefully get some more business as well."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee bars and restaurants looking forward to a busy summer