RNC Milwaukee 2024; 1-on-1 with Bartolotta Restaurants owner Paul Bartolotta
MILWAUKEE - As Milwaukee prepares for its moment in the international spotlight, there is a lot of pressure on the city's hospitality partners.
With 17 restaurants and catering facilities within Milwaukee, Paul Bartolotta, the owner of The Bartolotta Restaurants, goes one-on-one with Stephanie Grady to share his excitement ahead of a big week.
Stephanie Grady: The RNC is a really big get for the city. Of course, we had the DNC, but again, that was kind of a pseudo-DNC because it was COVID-19.
Paul Bartolotta: Didn't really happen.
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Grady: I mean, we're expecting the influx of people. Have you been doing any different, anything different in terms of prepping and preparing your restaurants and staff members to be the most hospitable as possible, or is it kind of just like business as usual for you?
Bartolotta: Well, certainly it's never going to be business as usual when this kind of thing happens. So we were active to get the RNC to come. Joe and I approached the DNC like the RNC, which is, this is good for our city. This will shine a spotlight on our city. So while it's politics, it isn't it is. But I have to say, I'm incredibly pleased with what we're doing as part for catering and events and restaurants and activity. We're quite pleased with it. And our number one goal, it's not like it's all this found business or money. We're not. That's not the driver. The real long term driver is like "Top Chef." Like when someone comes into our city, they need to leave as raving fans and they need to say, have you ever been to Milwaukee?"
Grady: Were you thrilled when you found out that the RNC was coming here?
Bartolotta: Blown away. I worked hard, one of the closing dinners we did at Lake Park. You know, we went way above and beyond to let them know that we can cook at the level of any big city in this country. We proved that to them. We showed them hospitality.
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Grady: Is your staff ready for the RNC?
Bartolotta: 100%. They're excited. We communicate. We appreciate everyone's political beliefs. Our job here is not to be involved in any political thing. Our job here is to focus on showcasing Milwaukee and showing what excellence looks like, what Bartolotta Hospitality feels like.
Grady: Do you think that the RNC is going to help be a springboard to other big things?
Bartolotta: I do, and again, the Baird Center, it's open. You know, for years we didn't have a big enough, you know, convention center. And Marty Brooks has done an amazing job getting that thing up and running. And so our job is to drive tourism. We have now better conventions. They're promoting better conventions. Our ads are going up, our guest visits are going up. Our impressions globally through, nationally and globally are going up through the work that Peggy is doing at [Visit Milwaukee]. So all these things that are happening are what [CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation] Missy Hughes calls Milwaukee and Wisconsin are having a moment. We have momentum.