MILWAUKEE —

Ahead of Halloween festivities, some bars in Milwaukee are banning Jeffery Dahmer Halloween costumes to avoid bringing back trauma to a town that suffered from Dahmer's violent murders for decades.

Two bars, D.I.X. and This Is It, both posted on Facebook ahead of their Halloween parties and costume contests that Jeffrey Dahmer costumes will be prohibited inside their establishments.

This Is It shared the following statement with sister station WISN 12 News:

"Even though Dahmer was not a customer at This is It!, the bar has been getting phone calls ever since the Netflix series aired because we are the oldest LGBTQ+ bar in Milwaukee, and in the Midwest. This, coupled with the popularity of the series and people on social media toying with the idea that somehow dressing up like this evil person would be a good idea, led the bar to make a statement that such hateful and disrespectful costumes will not be allowed in our space."

Netflix recently released a limited 10-episode series on Dahmer.

D.I.X. said it will not allow the costumes inside because they may re-traumatize members of the LGBTQ+ community who lived through the horror of Dahmer.

"We understand there's a generation out there that did not live this situation, they may not understand the severity of how it affected the community," said Eric Hamilton, one of the bar managers at D.I.X Milwaukee. "We don't want to put patrons in the situation where they would have to see or relive something that they had to truly experience. That's not a costume. It's not a costume."

Dahmer killed 17 men and boys, most of them in Milwaukee. Authorities said he met many of his victims in gay bars.

"I wouldn't be surprised if someone does (wear the Dahmer costume) just on their own naivety, but our way of handling the situation is out of respect," Hamilton said. "We're not here to tell you what's appropriate or get authoritarian on you, but at the end of the day, we will politely ask you that you either remove part of your costume so it will not affect anyone, or politely tell you to go to another bar."

Online retailer eBay also prohibited selling Dahmer Halloween costumes, saying it violates its violence and criminal policy.

The restaurant industry has been one of the hardest hit in the last two months.

“The numbers that have come in so far about restaurant closures and restaurant job losses, have been nothing short of staggering,” said Sean Kennedy with the National Restaurant Association.

According to the National Restaurant Association, 8 million employees in the industry have lost their jobs. Since the pandemic began, that’s three times more jobs loss than other industry. In addition to job loss, total losses in revenue for restaurants stand at $80 billion with projections that could go up to $240 billion.

“It’s painful trying to manage this business,” said Ryan Fletter. “We are easily down 50% and I feel like we are enormously successful for being down only 50%. I have two restaurants and the other one is suffering a 90% loss.”

Fletter is the owner of Barolo Grill and Chow Morso Osteria in Denver. Like the 60% of restaurants around the country that are open, the establishments have been surviving on take-out orders for food. However, both have also been able to sell to-go cocktails, since Colorado began a temporary allowance for this at the end of March.

With no longer having dine-in service, selling liquor to-go with food has become a critical source of revenue.

“Everything is lifeline right now,” said Fletter. “You take that away and it would be like standing on top of our head while we are underwater.”

Colorado is not the only state to allow restaurants this additional stream of revenue. Around the country, 45 states have begun allowing restaurants and bars to now sell to-go cocktails and other liquor.

“That has actually been a huge revenue generator,” said Kennedy.

The National Restaurant Association believes the revenue stream has become a lifeline for the industry, but it is still not enough.

“We are really at our most dangerous point right now, and it is why we need a federal solution from congress if restaurants are going to survive into the fall,” explained Kennedy.

Kennedy and the National Restaurant Association have proposed stimulus package ideas for restaurants that include tax breaks and grant money for restaurants, but there has been little talk in Congress about it being part of the next stimulus package. For now, restaurants are relying on what has always kept them alive, their customers.

“We hope that everyone will continue to reach out to their local restaurant and participate in whatever program they are doing, whether it is food or beverages or both,” said Fletter. “It’s why we are alive.”

DES MOINES, IA — The pandemic is still wreaking havoc in the foodservice and hospitality industry. According to the latest government numbers, a record number of workers quit their jobs in August, nearly 7% compared to 2.9% for the rest of the economy.

At a time when most restaurants were struggling to stay afloat, The Breakfast Club, a brunch spot in Des Moines, opened its doors during the pandemic.

“It's really hard right now,” said Josh Holderness, partner at The Breakfast Club.

A third of restaurant owners in Iowa have lost staff to other industries and don’t expect them to come back.

For Holderness, that means a sick call from an employee can turn things upside down.

“We just don't have the people that you can call on a moment's notice to maybe come in and cover their shifts,” he said.

But as restaurants, bars and other businesses in the hospitality industry struggle to find workers, new research suggests it’s about to get even worse.

According to a JobList survey of nearly 14,000 wage-earners, 58% of restaurant and hotel employees intend to quit their jobs by Jan. 1.

“We're really in a mode where we have to attract back workforce but also attract new workforce into our industry,” said Jessica Dunker, president & CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association.

She says the restaurant industry is hoping an influx of working moms could help restaurants recover from worker shortages.

“We really have some powerful, unique value proposition to offer potential employees, in particular working moms,” said Dunker.

With women accounting for half the restaurant workforce, flexible schedules could lure some working moms like Nina Punelli to the ranks.

Punelli quit her last job during the pandemic, in part, because juggling a rigid work schedule while raising two remote learners became untenable.

“It was tough. It was hard to manage that. School online, [the] job as well. It was hard,” she said.

With her twin daughters back at school, Punelli returned to the workforce as a server here at The Breakfast Club.

“Flexibility really drove me as a mother to come work here,” said Punelli. “They open early and close at a great time to offer me that opportunity to still have to go, get my kids, pick them up.”

Still, employment overall in the foodservice industry is down nearly a million jobs from pre-pandemic levels, and with Americans quitting in record numbers, there may not be enough women out there to fill the void.

“Not yet,” said Dunker. “We are looking hard, and we know that we have to really market what we can bring to the table as employers to attract those high-quality workers back into our industry.”

CINCINNATI —

The excitement of prime-time football in Cincinnati was felt all over the city Thursday. Fans flooded into bars and restaurants to cheer on Bengals as they faced the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Thursday night game came at a time when bars and restaurants are trying to stay afloat, a year and a half into the pandemic that's forced many to close.

"We're still working on bringing that clientele and crowd, but I understand that there's still a lot of people that are not yet comfortable coming out and really socializing, and that's completely understandable," said Jordan Norman, general manager at Queen City Radio in Over-The-Rhine.

Norman said business has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels. He is also dealing with the staffing challenges that have become an industry staple throughout the country.

Queen City Radio recently marked its fifth year of business. Norman said TQL Stadium is helping breathe life into businesses like his.

"I think it kind of brings and stretches out the length of the city," he said. "There are things to go on from stadium to stadium."

Thursday, there were more Jaguars jerseys than Bengals jerseys in the bar's outdoor seating area.

"We actually got a booking from a Jacksonville Jaguars fan group that came up from Florida to pre-game here with us," said Erica Turer, Queen City Radio's event coordinator and social media manager.

"I mean I'll take money from Florida," she said.

Closer to the stadium, Kitty's Sports Grill on West Third Street saw a big crowd Thursday as well.

"This is our best night probably in three years," owner Billy Watson said.

Business is still way down during the week, especially during the day.

"Business is not there because there's so many people working remote," Watson said. "If they are working downtown, they're working two, three days a week."

He was thrilled to see a full bar Thursday and as a small business owner and fan, is optimistic about the season.

For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, live music is making its way back to New Orleans' famous bars.

On Friday, the city announced it was moving to a modified Phase three, which will see restaurants, retail stores, and salons operate at a 75% capacity.

According to the city, a bar without a food permit can serve at 50% capacity indoors.

Gathering indoor and outdoor in the city, which was raised late last month, are capped at 75 and 150 guests, respectively.

Sporting events were limited at 15% capacity indoors and 25% outdoors.

The changes went into effect at 6 a.m. Friday.