MILWAUKEE — St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most profitable days of the year for bars and restaurants - particularly in cities like Milwaukee. Now add an NCAA tournament on top of that, and places like The Harp have themselves a pot of gold.
“Yesterday was a great day, St. Patty’s Day! We're the harp so its naturally a busy day for us, NCAA and Marquette playing is also a good thing,” said Matt Schmidt, director of operations for The Harp.
He’s worked with them since 2008. He says seeing the business filled with people again is good for a lot of reasons.
“It’s great for this place and it’s great for our staff too, a lot of people rely on this money to pay rent and bay the bills, so it’s great. Our staff is having fun and taking care of people and making some money.”
The Harp wasn't the only business that was still bustling after the Irish holiday was over.
Patti Weitzel, a server at Uncle Bucks, says they're grateful for the impact Marquette’s success has had on them.
“The energy has been very high, we really want them to go far and once they go far then we get more business,” said Weitzel. “It’s always good if Marquette does well -- especially right after COVID it’s just so nice to see everybody out again. It’s so much fun.”
And the fun's not over yet. Both spots are gearing up for a full crowd during Marquette’s Sunday matchup against Michigan State.
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