NBA All-Star Weekend right around the corner and the spotlight will be on Cleveland. But the same cannot be said for local bars and restaurants.
Of the 87 applicants, only seven were approved to stay open late during All-Star weekend- and they're all hotels.
In a statement, David Gilbert said that the decision to only approve extended hours for hotels "seemed reasonable when it became clear that all applying bars and restaurants couldn’t be accommodated within the city’s safety plan. They found a solution that balances public safety needs with the desire to accommodate the needs of visitors."
Johnny Hutton, owner of Zanzibar, was looking forward to the increase in revenue that All-Star weekend would bring. But hearing that only seven hotels received approval to stay open late, he says he is "very disappointed by it."