Every Friday, Off The Record looks to other Milwaukee publications (and beyond) for bits of news we missed throughout the week.
• Rejoice, East Side! A new Stone Creek Coffee is coming to Downer Avenue! The new location will take over the empty Associated Bank lot on the corner of Downer Avenue and East Park Place. It’s expected to open later this fall. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Rejoice, East Side! Again! A new gastropub, dubbed Izzy Hops Swig and Nosh, is coming to the former Rascals space, 2311 N. Murray Ave. The restaurant is the work of East Side real estate developer and business owner Michael Vitucci. It’s expected to open in early August. [OnMilwaukee]
• Rejoice, East Side! Again! Right next door, Kawa Ramen and Sushi will open in the former Winchester space, 2321 N. Murray Ave. [OnMilwaukee]
• See you guys? The East Side is totally fine! (This bullet point brought to you by the aforementioned East Side real estate developer and business owner who gave us scoops on the previous two East Side openings.) [OnMilwaukee]
• The Milwaukee County Zoo is revamping its concession stands and gift shops. Oh, and adding a new beer garden—er, “Bear Garden”—at the new Zoo entrance. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Milwaukee’s Ambassador Hotel is revamping its food, too. “The near west side hotel said Tuesday it will revamp and rename its Envoy restaurant as The Fitz—in a nod to author F. Scott Fitzgerald—as well as rebrand its coffee house Caffe Deco to Deco, which will also receive a remodel. The hotel’s bar area, Envoy Lounge, will also receive an update and be renamed Gin Rickey.” The new concepts are expected to be completed by Summerfest. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• It’s official: Milwaukee is getting a Shake Shack. [BizTimes]
• Fro-Zone, a new Thai rolled ice cream joint, is coming to Brady Street. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Chicago-based America’s Dog & Burger wants to open five—count ’em, five—Milwaukee-area locations. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• The “continent’s largest traveling Ferris wheel” is coming to the 2017 Wisconsin State Fair. [OnMilwaukee]
• The on-again, off-again, we’re-suing-again downtown strip club is finally going to happen. The Milwaukee Common Council approved a license for The Executive Lounge, 730 N. Old World Third St., in exchange for the dropping of numerous lawsuits against the city. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Okay, never mind about that 730 N. Old World Third St. location. Now that they’ve been given the green light, the strip club representatives in question are interested in finding a different location for their business. Good grief. [BizTimes]
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students were tasked with “bringing more vitality” to Michigan and Clybourn streets downtown. They came up with a Target, a new Milwaukee Public Museum, and some apartments. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Urban Milwaukee‘s Bruce Murphy continued his war against Miller Park, this time blasting numerous “bogus studies” looking into the stadium’s economic impact. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The City of Milwaukee reached a tentative $2.3 million settlement with the family of Dontre Hamilton, who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2014. Don’t read the comments on this one, folks. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Summerfest announced even more headliners for its 50th edition, including Ludacris, the Spinners, and Harvey Scales. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Milverine has a dog. [OnMilwaukee]
• Have a great weekend, Milwaukee!