The Meat Raffle is a tavern tradition that’s been around for decades. In recent years, this protein-packed pastime has become something as synonymous with Wisconsin drinking culture as pull tabs, touchdown shots, and the bloody mary beer chaser. The only real drawback of this Midwest pastime is that it doesn’t necessarily keep vegetarians and vegans in mind.
Well, we here at Milwaukee Record feel everyone deserves an opportunity to day drink in a bar while trying to win food (and other items). In that inclusive spirit, we’re proud to be bringing back our Meatless Raffle. The second annual 100% vegetarian version of a Midwest mainstay will take place at Cactus Club on Sunday, March 8 from 1-4 p.m. It’s free to attend, though the tickets will cost money obviously!
How does it work?
Things kick off at 1 p.m. sharp. Then, starting around 1:30 p.m., we’ll draw a winner for at least one prize every 30 minutes (usually more). Instead of throwing all the entries into one place and making you wait around all afternoon for prizes you may or may not want, we’re going to give people a chance use their tickets on specific items. This will give people better odds of winning something they truly want to win.
How do I get tickets?
You can get ’em at our ticket booth for $2 each, six for $10, and the length of your arm (from finger tips to your shoulder blade) for $20. For the sake of line flow, cash is strongly preferred. Cactus Club has an ATM. If that’s not possible, we’ll take card and Venmo if necessary. Also, for the duration of the event, you can get a raffle ticket from your bartender with the purchase of any 3 Sheeps beer, Cloudless seltzer, or WYNK Seltzer + THC beverage.
What can I win?
We’ve put together about a dozen prize packages that are a blend of things we’ve rounded up and things generously donated to the cause by a wide range of local businesses. We have a bunch of gift cards to area restaurants that have lots of vegetarian and vegan offerings. There’s apparel, beer and spirits (winners must be 21+ and can’t enjoy their prize on-site), N/A offerings, THC items (21+, can’t enjoy on-site), vegetarian/vegan grocery goods, and even some stuff for Milwaukee Record. Check out this list of participating establishments!
• 3 Sheeps Brewing
• Beerline Cafe
• Café Corazón
• Classic Slice
• Comet Cafe
• Honeypie
• hoochMKE
• Milwaukee Record
• Outpost Co-op
• Palomino
• Racine Art Museum
• Semolina
• Siren Shrub
• SmallPie
• Strange Town
• Twisted Plants
• The Vanguard
• WYNK Seltzer + THC
Is that it?
Nope! Between the drawings, we’ll have a few 10-liners going to significantly up your odds of winning things like gift cards, Milwaukee Record merch, pies and vegan desserts, a Bloody Mary kit, and more. And if 1-in-10 odds aren’t good enough, we might also be bringing our infamous Milwaukee Record Prize Wheel™ out of storage and selling spins…where everyone is a guaranteed winner (but the prizes can get a little weird sometimes).
Okay, so is that it?
Nope again! Noted Bay View spinner and friend of the site Aaron Miller will be in the front room DJing a handpicked, all vinyl mix. Also, Cactus Club will have its full bar up and running, and we’ll see if we can get something fun on their TVs.
And this is a benefit?
Hell yes it is! In addition to giving folks a fun late-winter activity and providing a meatless alternative to local raffle culture, the majority of the proceeds from tickets, 10-liners, and prize wheel spins will be donated to Kinship Community Food Center. So have some fun, enjoy some drinks, potentially win some great stuff, and help a wonderful local organization in their mission of assisting those in need. It’s a classic win-win-win-win scenario. We hope to see you there!
Oh, and consider stopping by X-Ray Arcade before the Meatless Raffle on Sunday. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Cudahy venue and arcade will be hosting a vegan brunch pop-up by their friends Ste Martaen.