After fewer restaurants benefited from RNC business than expected, many downtown restaurants were stuck donating fresh food and swallowing the costs.
While many businesses downtown saw a boost during the convention others said their potential customers were blocked by the barricades and road closures.
Some restaurants and bars in the Warehouse District said they were left with pounds of left over food.
Velimir Lucic, who owns Tomo Sushi and Hibachi Restaurant, said he ended up donating his extra food and absorbing the price tag. He said he’s also had to find storage for the extra beer, wine and liquor that was never consumed.
“Oh thanks God I’m so glad the convention is finally over,” he said, explaining that his business was actually down for the week.
Closer to the convention, Stonetown restaurant owner Akin Alafin said barricades literally blocked customers from entering his newly opened soul food restaurant.
“A sign literally read “do no enter” on the barricade in front of the restaurant,” Alafin said.
Luckily he was able to transfer uneaten food to one of his other restaurant locations, but the excess beer, wine and liquor could not legally be transferred over.
“It’s going to hurt cash flows,” he explained.
But there is a silver lining to Stonetown’s troubles. Once the story circulated online, people from across the country started calling in and ordering meals to show their support.
“They’ll never eat it, never been to Stonetown. I don’t know if they’ll ever come to Cleveland, hopefully they will,” he said. “But they just want to show their support.”
Alafin said he plans to donate the meals ordered by those supporters to homeless shelters in the city.
