George Webb on Oakland is closed; building owner would like something that’s NOT George Webb Matt Wild February 26, 2025 After more than 15 years of dedicated service, affordable burgers, and eternally sketchy vibes, the George Webb at 2935 N. Oakland Ave. on Milwaukee’s East Side has closed. The news was first reported on Tuesday by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, then Urban Milwaukee, then a bunch of other places, and now us. It took us so long because we were mourning another fallen location from our seminal 2016 article, “We went to every George Webb in the world on February 29.” Nine years ago. Almost to the day. Damn. Anyway, George Webb decided not to renew its lease at Oakland Avenue; the building is now listed by real estate company Ogden & Company. “Prime restaurant space available in the heart of Milwaukee’s East Side,” the listing reads. “Located at 2935 N. Oakland Ave., this 1,950 SF retail restaurant space offers an excellent opportunity for a food & beverage concept looking to capitalize on high foot traffic, proximity to UW Milwaukee, and a vibrant neighborhood.” Back in 2018, to celebrate a Milwaukee Brewers 12-game winning streak, we stood in line at the Oakland Avenue George Webb and waited for a free burger. We then took the burger, put it in a homemade “time capsule,” and buried it in the woods. Exactly one year later, we dug it up. The whole thing was supposed to be a riff on those people who had frozen or bronzed their free George Webb burgers when the Brewers had a winning streak back in the ’80s , but it didn’t really land. The Parks department wasn’t thrilled with us, either. (We buried it in Lake Park.) Oh, and here’s the funny part: The owner of 2935 N. Oakland Ave., Ryan Pattee, would like to fill the space with something that’s decidedly NOT George Webb. Mike Testa, senior brokerage associate at Ogden & Company, told Urban Milwaukee that Pattee “would prefer a national brand—one of the newer, fresher concepts, something cool and unique, but still with that national credit and backing.” “We’re looking for something that fits well in the neighborhood and would preferably be a bit more on the national level of a tenant,” Testa told the Journal Sentinel. “At this point, we are fielding a constant stream of calls, emails, and texts from brokers and business owners across the country,” Testa told Milwaukee Record on Wednesday. “We’re evaluating the prospects to see who is the best fit for the area and will be an asset to both the building owner and the neighborhood.” The first George Webb opened in 1948, on the corner of Ogden and Van Buren. According to the George Webb website, only three locations of the regional chain remain open in the City of Milwaukee: 812 N. MLK Dr.; 6181 S. Howell Ave.; and 3133 S. 92nd St. Oh, and here’s our Oakland Avenue entry from our 2016 “We went to every George Webb in the world on February 29” piece. It was the fifth stop on a 29-location odyssey: The next stop was the iconic Webb’s on Oakland Avenue. Our server was exceptionally nice, but we left her and the cleanest interior we’d seen to that point within 15 minutes of ordering and inhaling our dual orders of the small/cheap Egg On Toast sandwiches. I decided I needed to start drinking water. Josh had a Pepsi, but it was flat and tasted like cherry, so we sent it back. This was getting tough, but at least we were back in metro Milwaukee. Want more Milwaukee Record? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and/or support us on Patreon. RELATED ARTICLES • I dug up the free George Webb burger I buried in the woods one year ago and it was gross • I buried a free George Webb burger in a time capsule in the woods and will unearth it one year from now • George Webb will hand out free burgers October 18 to celebrate Brewers’ 12-game winning streak • We went to every George Webb in the world (including the new Sherman Park location) • We went to every George Webb in the world on February 29
