Downtown Cleveland businesses preparing to be fully staffed for NBA All-Star weekend

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Downtown Cleveland restaurants are preparing to be fully staffed for the thousands of excited NBA All-Star Weekend fans in a few weeks.

“This winter, we dealt with staff shortages with Covid, but I think we’re through the worst of it, and we’re ready to go,” Ashling Murray, the director of marketing for Barrio, said.

She said the restaurant has a plan in place, so they will have plenty of staff come the weekend of February 20.

“We have a lot of locations, so when we have events going on, we kind of pull from different restaurants,” Murray said. “Sometimes people are more willing to work if they know that we’re going to be busy for these events too.”

By all measures, Covid-19 cases have been trending down in Cuyahoga County. However, that won’t stop Barrio from having safety measures in place for big crowds.

“We’re definitely not going to have the bar crowded,” Murray said. “I know in past times we used to let people drink at the bar, but everyone is going to have to be seated.”

Destination Cleveland told 19 News it’s working with several businesses to make sure staffing challenges and safety needs are met.

“We know the challenges being felt locally are the same challenges being felt across the country,” David Gilbert, president & CEO of Destination Cleveland, said. “We’re working with our partners throughout the industry to better understand those challenges, come up with long-term solutions and ensure we can continue to offer a safe and positive experience for residents and visitors alike.”

Murray said events like NBA All-Star Weekend are great for all Downtown restaurants. The result, you might say, a three-point play for the local economy.

“We’re still really excited to have the business,” Murray said. “It’s going to be really exciting for all the businesses downtown, too.”

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