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Detroit's 24-hour economy ambassador on club culture - Crain's Detroit Business

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NIGHTTIME ECONOMY: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan appointed Adrian Tonon to a job dubbed 24-hour economy ambassador in 2018. Tonon is also the city's director of customer service. He heads up city initiatives in nightlife, music and arts. The son of restaurateurs sees his job as bringing together government, nighttime business and the public. He grew up working at his family's west-side Detroit restaurant, is co-founder of the Detroit Music Foundation and has filled in varied roles during the coronavirus pandemic.

Crain's Detroit Business: What is the job of a nightlife ambassador during a highly contagious disease outbreak?

Adrian Tonon: The mayor (Mike Duggan) called me the first day that it came here and said, "Adrian, I need you to set up hotels for first responders." So what I ended up doing is Greektown Casino (Hotel) and the Hilton Garden Inn, and then we started to get first responders sick who were looking for a hotel, no one in the city would take positive patients, so (with) a lot of negotiation, we ended up landing the Wyndham Southfield. So for two months I ran (operations for first responders staying at) these hotels just day and night ... it was every agency that was out in the field that couldn't go home because they had either an at-risk, you know, somebody at home. So it was a huge operation, temperature checks, everything. We had never done this before. All during that time, working with artists. We did the Detroit Unity Festival, myself and (Detroit chief storyteller) Eric Thomas. Then there was some civil unrest. I was just itching to be out there because I'm in the community with the artists and thought leaders. So, I worked very closely with (the Detroit Police Department). So I was with them and you know (they) were tear gassing and doing these things. There were people out there who were throwing rocks, throwing spikes. The next night, being that I work with all the youth, and I'm in the fabric of the community, DPD called and said "We'll pick you up at 8" and I said, "I'm out here protesting with our kids, I gotta be with them, I gotta protect them." We marched from Southwest to the Third Precinct.

Everyone's not for the mayor. I work for him, I see what we do as an administration, I see what our administration looks like ... Chief (James) Craig and the mayor, they serve the people. I know where their priorities are, and genuinely feel they give their best. I'm not marching against them. (Also,) we started going back to the (entertainment) venues, so now it's back to the 24 hour economy. We've partnered, created a coalition on one side of venue owners. On the other side, it's the city, the health department, (public works), DPD. So the first thing that came back, I have to say, is the club culture, the venues, the rooftops, and it's full of Detroiters and it's giving DJs a job, giving people a place to unwind. The pivot was, you can't stand up, you have to sit down, and we're also changing the music to where it's more, more vibe-y music than just like a crazy, hip hop, party with everyone dancing.

I understand you've been involved in looking at bars and clubs that are following or not following coronavirus protocols? There were reports a couple weeks ago of some violations. Can you give us a more detailed look at that?

We created this task force. We went in and really, really worked with these venue owners. Over the last three years, with the nighttime economy, we've put together 50 venues that are all in a text chain and we disseminate information. So we were working with these venues and everything was constantly changing. Sometimes you can't control the crowd, the crowd will all show up at one time and it's just like, it's chaos. Someone will show up with a reservation for 10 people, and they'll show up with 90 people.

Really, 90 people? Did that actually happen?

It does. It does happen. The venues, at this point, social distancing, half capacity, they can't accommodate, so then people are outside. That's why we work with decibels, making sure the music's not out on the street where the street becomes the party. This new responsibility of this pandemic, it's not going away. It's definitely a work in progress. There's been weekends where it looked disastrous out there. People forget. They go out and they see their friends not wearing their masks, their friends are fine. But they could be asymptomatic, then go home to their grandparents, their parents, and that's the concern.

You said sometimes crowds come and you can't really control it. If it's that hard to control, then how can it be safe to run a club right now?

Somewhere like Greektown, we've closed off the street so in order to enter anywhere where you're going to get in line, you have to have a mask on. So that's something we can control. There was a little fight-back, I mean there's pushback everywhere, you go to some rural town up north and you've got people starting fights. You get some of that here, but I have to say all in all people are stepping up.

What about the dance and rooftop clubs you have jurisdiction over?

No. I mean we've gone as far as getting the promoters together, we have a meeting with all the promoters to talk to them about being more responsible. But I don't know what tomorrow's going to bring, but the venues I work with, you make one text, one call, it's just like, "Got it, I'm on it." There's a trust there ... I'm an advocate ... I'm not going to tell the health department what to do. It's about these different agencies going out and being very well-communicated about what's right, what's wrong. We've got it down to a great partnership. At the end of the day, if we come together, we're a better city.

You started a business called Cortina Local three or four years ago. What's that?

So, I grew up on Schaefer (Highway) and Fenkell (Avenue on Detroit's west side) in the restaurant business. My family had two restaurants, Rina's Pizzeria and then our other family had the Red Devil restaurant. Then in 1976 my parents opened a restaurant called Café Cortina in Farmington Hills. So what I did with Cortina Local is I partnered with our executive chef, who is Latino, and our sous chef, who's a Black gentleman from Detroit. I took the brand and created a food truck business. We cater all over. It's based out of Farmington Hills. But my whole thing is we've been doing this stuff a long time. How do you create access? How do you take what your family has built and share it with others?

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Detroit's 24-hour economy ambassador on club culture - Crain's Detroit Business
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