CLEVELAND — Damian Rosado is the kitchen manager at Johnny’s Downtown. He said he will be busier than usual during NBA All-Star Game Weekend, and said the timing couldn’t be better.
“It’s good for us, it’s good for the city and for us because we’re bringing more business to our restaurant and we’re bringing a lot of people from all over that’s coming to check out the All-Star Game,” Rosado said.
General manager David Flowers said the place will be open later than usual until 2 a.m. He’s expecting crowds the size he rarely sees during the winter months.
“For this to happen in February, for us, it really lights things up for us. Helps with the bottom line, helps everyone get paid,” Flowers said.
Mike Mulhall is with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. He said this is likely the biggest major sporting event with full attendance to come to town since the MLB All-Star Game in 2019, which brought in around $65 million in revenue.
The city hosted the NFL Draft in April of last year, but parts of that event were virtual. He says the NBA invests a lot more into showcasing its All-Star Game than other leagues.
“This is the league’s showcase. This is really the one time of the year they bring in all of their stakeholders,” Mulhall said.
Flowers said the longer hours will also mean more money in the pockets of the staff.
“With the time we’re gonna be here later, they’ll definitely reap the benefits from that,” Flowers said.
Eighty-seven businesses applied for a special waiver with the city to serve alcohol until 4 a.m., but only seven hotels were approved. The city cited safety concerns. Businesses still expect much more foot traffic than usual this time of year.
