Some companies say they lost out because Chicagoans stayed home during the DNC

CHICAGO (CBS) – The Democratic National Convention brought thousands of delegates, volunteers, politicians and delegates to Chicago – but some say Chicagoans themselves stayed home.

What effect did the DNC have on the busy Business areas that will be removed from the United Center and McCormick Place? Owners and employees of some of these businesses said they were a little disappointed with how things turned out.

It’s hard to say how many residents stayed home or even left the area to avoid the crowds and traffic at the fair, but the fact that some businesses saw such low sales is a sign.

“Really slow,” said food truck employee Reyna Prito. “It’s been really slow all week.”

Prito, who can get around town, said his food truck business struggled during DNC week because so many of his regulars opted to work from home. The direct benefits of the DNC influx were out of the question for them.

“We usually make $3,000 to $4,000 a day, but this week it’s only about half that,” Prito said.

A similar situation prevailed at the shops in the South Loop – sometimes they were cut off from their regular customers by DNC fencing.

“Not much business,” said exchange office employee Martha Laguinilla.

“To be honest, it slowed down business tremendously,” said Ottinyse Brown, manager of McCormick Market, 80 E. Cermak Rd. “We lost a lot, I would say, because our regular customers didn’t show up. They couldn’t park anywhere. They had to walk two, three blocks to get to the store. So yeah, it slowed down business tremendously.”

Another sign of what a ghost town downtown was during the pandemic was Metra ridership.

During the first three days of the convention, the number of Metra passengers never exceeded 102,000.

During the first three days of the convention, Metra passenger numbers never exceeded 102,000, peaking at 101,602 on Monday, 101,500 on Tuesday and 99,802 on Wednesday.

That number for Tuesday – normally Metra’s busiest day – was 50% lower than the six previous Tuesdays.

However, some companies have benefited from it.

“Just being part of the process was great, you know what I mean? It was a show of support,” said Greggory Smith, who runs the Soul & Smoke food truck, which serves delicious barbecue and soul food.

Smith was signed by the DNC for a position at the United Center.

“I was there when we opened the United Center and everything was getting ready, so I helped everyone feed the team there,” he said.

Denita Tittle, owner of the food truck Ms. Tittle’s Cupcakes, said she’s already seeing a revival in business.

“You know, some people were left over from the DNC and came,” Tittle said.

The DNC security fence was dismantled on Friday evening as Chicago’s streets returned to normal.

Organizers estimated the congress would bring in up to $200 million for the region.

PHOTOS: Behind the scenes with CBS Chicago at the DNC