CLEVELAND — Expectations for the week of the Republican National Convention had some businesses afraid of showing their faces — the fear grew from predictions of demonstrations and protests outside the venue.
“Nobody knows what to expect, we’re kind of just playing it by ear,” Lindsey Henderson, manager of Camino Taco and Tequila Bar said. “We have security and everything, (but) just to be on the safe side we’ve overstaffed a little bit, expecting an increase in business."
Henderson said that by this time people are moving around and touring with less tentative attitudes. But the regulars have been in short supply.
“I think a lot of our residents are out of town, so I think that puts a nick in our regular business,” Hendersen said.
With outsiders coming to Cleveland, Hendersen said residents will represent it well and outsiders cause the problems.
“Everything has been peaceful which is good because they have been protesting for over a week now and nothing has happened," Henderson said. “We have a plan if something were to happen.”
It seems most businesses made plans for the RNC, others just merely adapted.
“They told me last week that I should just close up and go home,” Angelo Liask said. “But I don’t want to be afraid of things.”
Liask owns Mel's Cafe a small restaurant within the Western Reserve Building. The building requested he shut down, but they bargained to just be on lockdown and keep service going.
“You’ve still got to keep your life going,” Liask said.
Close calls made bartender for Porcelli's Bistor Alicia Kondrich almost shut the doors for the day. Kondrich said protesters got a little bit too close for comfort, but police contained it.
“It started to get a little rowdy,” Kondrich said.
She said the police officers have been a calming point throughout this week.
“For me, as someone who works down here, I absolutely love seeing (police) presence – it makes me feel a lot safer," Kondrich said.
Kondrich said because of them being out of the venue area the restaurant is like an “oddball in the middle.”
“Everyone down here is part of the convention so they're all down there doing their own thing," Kondrich said. "I know everything is catered for them over there."
The overwhelming population and activity downtown has done more harm than good for Porcelli's Bistro.
“We’ve actually been pretty slow," Kondrich said.
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With a different perspective, Jae Stulock has literally been on the streets with his food truck, Umami Moto, in the middle of the action.
“We were really concerned that something bad was going to happen and being caught in the middle of it,” Stulock said. “Being a big, large object in the middle of a large crowd is not a good thing to be.”
Stulock said he has been very surprised, impressed with how the week has gone and the low arrest level. He said his fears have sort of passed and he's enjoying the week.
Umami Moto was the second food truck in existence when they launched in Cleveland.
Stulock said he's had interesting views from protests to the Cleveland Cavaliers parade a few weeks ago.
“You do see a lot from a food truck, being around all of these weird events," Stulock said.
