MILWAUKEE — Consumer spending is up in Downtown Milwaukee. Research shows folks are spending more this summer compared to last.
"We just show up and cook and give great service," Greg León said.
León's the head chef and owner of Amilinda downtown. Showing up, cooking, and providing great service is their motto.
"We're almost at our pre-pandemic numbers, which is great," León said.
Post-pandemic, the City of Milwaukee has seen an increase in spending specifically downtown.
"Downtown is the place to be, I think. It's the heartbeat of the city," León said.
León is right. Fiserv's Chief Financial Officer, Bob Hau, said more people are coming downtown and spending more this summer compared to last.
Now, inflation does play a role, but in some cases, the amount of transactions outweighs the price difference.
"Things like the Milwaukee Night Market, or Summerfest, people looking to go to concerts and enjoy that. We're definitely seeing leisure and travel go up in a meaningful way," Hau said.
Summerfest, according to Hau, saw a 7.5 percent transaction increase compared to last year. That means more people swiped their cards or handed over cash more than the previous year.
The same goes for restaurants and leisure downtown, this summer compared to last.
Nearly 11 percent more people ate at local restaurants. While nearly 47 percent more people spent time doing leisure activities downtown.
"I think it's part of the resurgence and the revitalization of downtown Milwaukee. There's been a significant investment into this area, not only here in the Deer District, but in downtown with other investments and more and more companies coming into town," Hau said.
Both Fiserv and Kohl's are moving their headquarters downtown this year.
These numbers are even more encouraging for small businesses as we end summer and head into fall. León said he's hoping to see even more revenue in the coming months.
"We're about to start our busy season. In fact, I would say today's the start of our busy season. I'm glad that what little we do here is actually helping to revitalize downtown, and in a little way, helping to make the downtown a better place," León explained.
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