From shuttles to hotels, Milwaukee businesses see boost ahead of NFL Draft

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- An idea born from baseball is making a Milwaukee bar lots of money ahead of next week's NFL Draft. The Milwaukee Brat House's downtown location is one of the places running shuttles to Green Bay for the draft, a football extravaganza estimated to bring 250,000 visitors to Wisconsin. 

Ryan Cooke, the director of operations for Heard Hospitality, which owns Milwaukee Brat House, Jack's American Pub, WurstBar, and Wanaki Golf Course, said the Brat House already rents coach buses to bring fans to Packers games each fall. It's based on the success they've had with shuttles taking fans to Brewers game, something dozens of Milwaukee area bars now offer.

"I think a lot of people have come to know us as the bar that sends you up to Green Bay," Cooke said. "The logic behind doing the Packers shuttles was kind of the same that led us to do our Brewers shuttles, where everyone was going to Brewers games to tailgate, and no one was coming into the bars. So, we thought if we offer you a free ride, maybe you'll come in and have a beer, and that's been very successful."

While the Brewers shuttles are free, the ones destined for Green Bay next week will cost $85 per ticket. However, Cooke believes there will be bang for riders' bucks.

"On the bus, it's all you can drink," he said. "We'll have coolers on there for you to help yourself."

Cooke said the Brat House has sold enough tickets to reserve eight 55-seat coach buses for Thursday's first round, and he added the business has more buses on standby. The bar has three buses reserved for Friday.

The Brat House isn't the only shuttle option in Milwaukee. Steny's Tavern & Grill is offering $85 shuttles from both its Milwaukee and Pewaukee locations. Steny's has few tickets remaining for its Thursday shuttles, but plenty are available for Friday and Saturday.

Potawatomi Sportsbook is offering a hotel and shuttle package throughout the draft, and it's offering single shuttle ticket options for $100 per day. Milwaukee Food & City Tours is running shuttles to Green Bay with pickups at 39 different hotels downtown and around Mitchell Airport. Tickets for that shuttle cost $75 per day.

While lots of people are signing up for shuttles taking them to Green Bay, plenty of others are making hotel reservations. Bill Elliott, president of the Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Association, said there is demand for rooms across the state, but especially so in and around Green Bay.

"Occupancy in Green Bay is getting pretty full," Elliott said. "You still get rooms there, actually, but it's getting pretty close to sold out."

Elliott added hotels around Milwaukee are also busier because of the draft. He said a typical April weekend sees about 40% of the region's hotel rooms booked. Next weekend, however, Elliott said Milwaukee area hotels are about 60% booked. He expects that number to grow, both because of the draft and the Bucks hosting first-round NBA playoff games Friday and Sunday night.

"There's really a regional impact, obviously," Elliott said. "From Green Bay to Milwaukee here, we see rooms picking up."

While there are still rooms available in Green Bay, they're not cheap next week. A review of listings on hotels.com found numerous hotels selling rooms for between $150 and $200 a night two weeks from now while charging more than $400 a night for those same rooms next Thursday and Friday.

Back at the Brat House, Tom Schultheis said Wednesday's Brewers game was the first he'd attended. The South Bend, Indiana native said he looked up ways to get to the ballpark online and stumbled upon the Brat House shuttle.

Now, he said he's hooked and is even contemplating a return to Milwaukee for the draft shuttle.

"I think it's great. I think we're gonna come back next week," Schultheis said. "I'm gonna tell you what, I think it's a great idea. Leave your car somewhere else. Take the shuttle, safe for everybody."