On Thursday, Mayor Tom Barrett announced that all City of Milwaukee bars and restaurants will be free to reopen for dine-in service beginning Friday, June 5, at 2 p.m. (Indoor service will be limited to 25 percent capacity.) “We are counting on business owners to make smart decisions,” Barrett said during the announcement.
So what do those business owners think? Here’s an ever-updating list of responses from Milwaukee businesses and business owners.
AJ BOMBERS
As you all are well aware, we got the green light to re-open as of 2 PM today. Re-opening with all health & safety precautions in place is important to us…so we’re going at our own pace.
THIS WEEKEND, BEGINNING AT 2 PM TODAY (6/5):
🎯 We’re serving our grub, beers & cocktails takeout-style.
🎯 Outdoor seating is open on a first come, first served basis.
🎯 Our team will be set up at the door to take your orders so you can enjoy your burgers at any of our tables set up outside.
🎯 Looking for round 2 on drinks? No problem! Head up to the door and our bartender will serve it up.
🎯 We’ll be sanitizing all outdoor furniture between each group.
🎯 Our team is committed to wearing masks at all times and gloves while handing all food & drink products.
🎯 Hand sanitizer stations will be available for our guests.
🎯 Carryout & delivery are still available!
We hope to see you this weekend!
AMILINDA
AND the survey says…. people don’t want restaurants to open right now. We’re all tired of quarantine, but there are much more important things to focus on right now. Don’t let the City of Milwaukee’s announcement distract you from being you and doing what’s necessary. #pridemonth #BLM Change is coming and we all need to get on board. We will plan to open when it’s safe, which we anticipate for in August. We’d love nothing more than to see your faces but safety comes first. Not only for you, but our patrons as well.
BARNACLE BUD’S
We know that everyone is extremely excited to be back outside and return to Milwaukee’s favorite outdoor dining patio, here at Barnacle Bud’s. We are just as excited to see you and get back outside ourselves again! However, we are unable to responsibly accommodate the usual crowds we are all accustomed to.
Please note much of the changes are temporary and the following policies are in place to keep you safe, to keep us safe, to maximize our spatial (distanced) limitations and allow for a turnover giving as many as our guests the opportunity to enjoy outdoor dining at Barnacle Bud’s.
• PLEASE STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK, We will see you when you are better!
• We will have a host stationed in the parking lot that you will need to check in with
• If there is not an immediate table for you, we will take your phone number and text you when your table is ready. We ask you remain in or next to your car.
• We strongly suggest you do not bring children at this time however if you do they MUST remain seated and supervised at all times.
• Table and Bar seating is limited to a 2 hour stay.
While we hope these changes are very short-term, we will no longer be able to do the following:
o Accommodate tables of more than 6
o Permit guests to wait for tables on premise or linger after to enjoy the ambiance
o Let groups of more than 2 sit at the bar at our EXTREMELY limited bar seating and will be given through hosts.
We greatly appreciate your understanding and your cooperation!!
BAVETTE
On the surface this seems like great news, but please understand that from a restaurant’s point of view, there was no warning and absolutely no communication on reopening, let alone no guidelines besides operating at a 25% capacity (of square footage, or number of seats?) all of which makes it very difficult to reopen safely. And so, not great news.
We will be continuing a take out only model until we feel that we are ready to open in a safe manner for all employees and customers.
Even though it is so tempting to go back out to restaurants and get back to “normal”, we encourage you to keep supporting take out from restaurants that are trying to open cautiously and safely, with thoughts towards a sustainable future.
BOONE & CROCKETT/THE COOPERAGE/SNACK BOYS
My spots won’t be used as pawns to draw dissenters away from the protests. An 18 hour notice with no prior discussion or planning is a clear indication that irresponsible politicking is at play. For those of us that supported Barrett’s decision to delay opening in the name of public safety, this is a slap in the face.
BOTANAS
Your view TOMORROW! Please read the following information carefully:
We will be open for CARRY-OUT ONLY from 11am to 4pm
We will be open for DINE IN from 4pm to 11pm
We will be following safety precautions to the fullest extent by practicing social distancing and maintaining hygiene.
We cannot wait to see you!
BLACK SHEEP
Black Sheep is continuing carry out service until further notice. We will have our patio open this weekend for drinks (mmmm Sangria 🍹) at a limited and distanced capacity, first come first serve basis.
We we will be taking this “re-opening” safely and slowly. As always, we appreciate your continued support! 🖤
BLACKBIRD BAR
Blackbird will not be reopening tomorrow. We miss everyone, but this is just not the right time for us.
BOUNCE MILWAUKEE
While we’re eager to see all of you, we believe that adhering to carry-out and delivery for the time being is the safest option for your family and our amazing staff. You can order carryout from our website anytime from 4-11pm, every day except Tuesday.
We will continue the Apocalypse Drive In, and are announcing some exciting developments there later on today. Watch this space!
We also will continue supporting our friendly neighborhood protesters and their causes long after the marching stops. We encourage you to stay involved too, and share your activism by tagging us in your photos along with the hashtag #RefueltheResistance. When you do, we’ll send you a coupon for your next order!
BROKEN BAT BREWING CO.
Would we love to see you starting tomorrow at 2pm? Sure.
Are we prepared for less than 24 hours notice to have a grand opening? Nope. Not even close.
Stay tuned for more details, we’ll see you next week…..
BROWNSTONE SOCIAL LOUNGE
Today is Opening Day Brownstone Social Lounge … We will celebrate with a few new restrictions to ensure everyone’s safety… Doors open at 4pm….
BURNHEARTS
[Journal-Sentinel] may have used a picture of our bar, but Burnhearts will NOT be back to business as usual tomorrow or anytime in the foreseeable future. We will continue this weekend (our lucky 13th anniversary weekend with limited take away hours Friday 5-9Pm.
CACTUS CLUB
Yesterday the mayor announced, with 18 hours notice and no real guidelines, that bars and restaurants can reopen. We are grossly disappointed by the city of Milwaukee’s reckless attempt to distract citizens from the critical organizing for racial justice. Tear gas and lies won’t quell the calls for accountability. Furthermore, please keep our public transit running. We stand in support of all organizing against white supremacy and police brutality. Please let us know if we can help support your efforts in the struggle.
CAFE CORAZON
We miss you! We’ll be back reeeeal soon, but not this weekend. We’ll keep you updated. Thanks for your support.
CAMINO
Hey folks! It looks like the city of Milwaukee has given restaurants the green light to reopen, with some restrictions. While we’d love to open today and see your smiling masked faces, we’re just not ready. We’re going to take the weekend to prepare and get our systems in check, so when you do come visit us, we’ll be ready with a safe, clean, and properly stocked restaurant. We will open on Monday, June 8th, at 11am for Burgertime. Our goal is to work into this slowly and safely, and our staff is eager to get back to work. We’re excited to see you!
CELESTA
We will not be opening our doors this weekend, but will continue to serve our guests through curbside and pick up. In addition to receiving absolutely no guidelines or support from the city, we believe there are more important matters to concentrate on right now like marching to protect the lives of People of Color and dismantling an unfair system that marginalizes many others, including LGBTQ and immigrant communities. Let’s focus on taking care of our community, navigating a global health crisis, and changing the world. Meanwhile, Celesta will be here to feed you, lovingly and from a distance. Stay safe, stay strong, and stay united, Milwaukee.
CHAMPION’S PUB
PROHIBITION IS OVER !!!! See you tomorrow!
CLASSIC SLICE
Classic Slice is NOT opening and between that and shutting down the buses tonight- Barrett can fuck right off.
CLUB CHARLIES
Hello all our Charlies, we miss you all very much but moving forward, even with the recent release from the City of Milwaukee of entering Phase three allowing restaurants and bars to open at 25% capacity we will not be doing dine in services. Since the beginning of the Safer at Home order we have had a plan laid out for a gradual reopening of our establishment with the safety of our staff and customers being our number one priority.
Moving forward, we will have very limited patio seating and a beautiful park across the street where you can enjoy your Togo food and cocktails until further notice. We understand everyone is ready to enjoy a game of bar dice with our amazing staff but that will have to wait until we as a whole staff “family” feel it is safe to do so. Love you all and stay safe! And as always, thank you for your understanding and support!!
CLUB GARIBALDI
Hi Club G family! We are happy to announce that we will be open again on Monday, June 8th at 2pm! We hope that everyone has stayed well and healthy through this unprecedented shut down. We pledge to do everything possible to provide a clean and sanitary environment for our guests. We recognize that everyone has their own idea of what is an optimal safety level and we will be following the guidelines laid out by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the State Dept. of Health. Unfortunately, we cannot 100% guarantee everyone’s safety among these trying times, so we remind everyone that patronizes Club Garibaldi that they do so at their own risk.
While we will do everything to provide a safe experience, we are all in this together. We would appreciate everyone’s cooperation in following these safety guidelines.
COMEDYSPORTZ
Hello Sportz Fans!
We know you are eager to come back to CSz Milwaukee for matches, shows and to hang out in the bar, but we currently do not have any plans to open to the public, even if Mayor Barrett has given the order that we could. For the time being we will continue to offer matches virtually and food/drinks for takeout only. We want to see you too, but are waiting to open until the timing is right.
THE COMET CAFE
Mayor Barrett announced that as of 2pm on June 5th restaurants can be open for dine-in at a 25% capacity. BUT HOLD UP! we’re gonna take the weekend to plan how to keep our staff safe while providing you a classic Comet experience. We’ll check up with you next week with our plan to reopen. We’ll still be open for carry-out, so slide in for a fish fry or some brunch and we’d be happy to feed ya.
COUNTY CLARE IRISH PUB
We’re back! Starting tomorrow with bar opening at 3pm and dining opening at 5pm!
Due to COVID-19 capacity restrictions we strongly advise making reservations.
Just so you know we have been deep cleaning, sanitizing, serve safe certifying and preparing for County Clare to open up as safely as possible.
We still will be observing social distancing with spaced out tables, limiting capacity, sanitizing, seating tables apart and limiting group size.
We will continue to offer curbside and carry out as well.
We continue to be so thankful for all the support, understanding, and kindness we’ve received while we continue to navigate through this unknown and constantly changing territory. Thank you from all of us at County Clare.
CRAFTY COW
To our friends in the industry reopening their doors today, we wish you nothing but good luck! Unfortunately, the timing just doesn’t feel right for us so we will remain closed for dine-in service for the time being. Please continue to support us by ordering delivery and carry out through our website.
CROSSROADS COLLECTIVE
Like many others, we are not opening our dining room until next week. We ARE, however, almost done setting up this amazing patio on which you can order food and drinks from your phone.
DANDAN/ESTEREV/THE FAUNTLEROY (via Dan Jacobs)
I literally can’t wait to see all your faces in the restaurants. [Dan Van Rite] and I miss EVERYBODY, but we are gonna wait until it’s safe and thought out. None of us like to be played. Right now I feel deliberately subverted for political purpose. At this time in history, that is a shame. The restaurants will have updates. Until then, keep fighting the good fight and wear a mask. It shows how much you care for others.
THE DARK HORSE TAVERN
Hello all! We are excited bars are able to reopen again in the city…
We want to do it once, and we want to do it right.
Without all the answers yet we won’t be opening until Monday at the earliest. Thank you! Hope to see you soon!
DEAD BIRD BREWING
While we miss having our taproom full of smiling faces, a less than 24hr notice with no guidelines or mandates in place, besides the 25% capacity, is not enough. This could be seen as a convenient distraction to what’s really going on in our city. We will not be opening the inside of our taproom today, but will continue to be open for carryout! Cheers.
D.I.X.
We’ve missed you, and we are happy to say starting at 2pm tomorrow we will be Open for service again. (Albeit with a limited capacity) We are happy to see you and show you all the new improvements we have been working on for you!
DUKE’S ON WATER
Hey everyone!! We are OPEN for business! We are excited to welcome you all back!
We will be following CDC/WHO guidelines to ensure everyone’s health and safety to make sure your return is safe and comfortable.
We will be operating at a 25% capacity.
We encourage you to social distance.
Hand sanitizer, masks and gloves are readily available.
More thorough cleaning policy’s are put into place.
If anyone has any questions, just ask our staff. They are more than willing to ease any discomforts you might have.
Our happy hour has slightly changed as well. It is now $2 domestic taps, $2 single rails and $4 double rails.
Thank you for all your support these last few months whether it be words of encouragement, our gofundme, or purchasing our t-shirts. It is very much appreciated. WE’VE MISSED YOU!!
****We will have free bottles of water and granola bars available for peaceful protesters walking by.
Please be patient and kind with everyone as we are all adjusting. Looking forward to seeing all of you!!
EASY TYGER
Despite the newest developments by the City of Milwaukee in regards to Restaurants and Bars, we WILL NOT be opening our dining room. Our main concern is for the safety of our families, employees, and diners.
EMERALD CITY CATERING & EVENTS
We have just received word (unofficially) that the restrictions on dine in will be lifted beginning at 2:00pm Friday, 6/5. At this time, we are planning on just doing private parties, funeral lunches, gatherings of any kinds at the 25% capacity until that number goes up. Our capacity is 280 guests so, if you are looking for a party of 70 people or less we can easily accommodate and still socially distance. We will be still offering the “Pay As You May” meals Monday through Friday, The bonus is you can have a drink while you wait for your fish fry.
FLUID
We ask for your patience and understanding during this time. We believe, currently, there exist more pressing issues in our community. We are assessing the situation because the health and safety of our customers and staff are important to us. We are in the process of taking precautions and putting best practices in place. The day will come!!! Enjoy the weekend and we will communicate updates soon!! We miss you and can’t wait until you are on the other side of our bar!
GARAGE
To our friends, neighbors, and the community as a whole: The Garage will open our doors for indoor and patio seating Friday at 2pm. We understand there are many mixed feelings about places opening but we are ready for limited service. Our kitchen will not be open. We have new safety policies in place that are in compliance with CDC and City regulations. We are cleaned, sanitized and ready to serve you!
We are limiting our capacity to 25%. We will have self-service at two designated bar areas – no servers – and will be monitoring indoor and outside tables for social distancing.The safety of our staff and guests takes top priority, and you can trust that our roaming cleaners, security staff and management will be there to make your experience safe and fun.
We’re excited to be seeing you all again! Stay home if you have any symptoms and come relax with us if you are up for a beer in the sun, and willing to comply and be safe.
GINGERZ
As we are getting ready to reopen our doors for the first time in almost 3 months, we would like pause for a minute and give you a sincere from the bottom of our hearts thank you! Many of you, week after week for 3 months helped us survive by ordering food to go. We would not have survived if not for you. We received zero government money and were not eligible for unemployment. 100% of our survival was because of you. We are opening Friday @ 4pm at 25% capacity, we removed some tables and made some other changes. We hope to see you soon! New hours will be posted soon. Thank you!
GOOD CITY BREWING (EAST SIDE TAPROOM)
State of the Brewery: Reopening with gratefulness during heavy and uncertain times.
GOODKIND
We refuse to get distracted.
A revolution needs refueling, but we’re gonna go ahead and continue that CURBSIDE.
Today’s hasty and decidedly hollow decision to “re-open” city bars and restaurants is wrong, and ill-informed. We miss you, WE LOVE YOU, but we’ll see you on the street instead.
We WILL CONTINUE CURBSIDE!
HAMBURGER MARY’S
Let there be no doubt where Hamburger Mary’s MKE stands. All profits from the weekend’s Pride celebrations will be donated to #blacklivesmatter and other social justice causes. We’ve operated without profits for months now… what’s another weekend? There are more important things in the world. #happypride🌈
THE HARP IRISH PUB
WE’RE BACK BABY! Opening tomorrow June 5th at 4pm! We’ll be complying with all city and state social distancing regulations. Can’t wait to see everyone!
HAWTHORNE COFFEE ROASTERS
You have likely heard that the City of Milwaukee yesterday announced that bars and restaurants may re-open onsite consumption today at 2pm with a 25% capacity cap. We will not be re-opening for any onsite consumption at this time.
Along with fellow business owners in our community, we were surprised as this announcement came without notice and time to adequately prepare for a re-opening. This announcements also contradicts the COVID-19 key indicator gating criteria outlined by the city as metric for when to re-open.
We have said for months now that we will allow the recommendations of scientists and health officials dictate when we re-open. The time has not yet come, so we will wait.
We continue to be open for carry-out, curbside pickup and local delivery. We have implemented the necessary safety measures to protect our staff and customers under this format.
Finally…we will be donating 10% of our sales for the month of June to the Milwaukee Black Owned Business Relief Fund.
Please be kind and stay safe.
THE HIGHBURY
Human safety is more important. Highbury will not be opening anytime soon.
HONEYPIE/PALOMINO BAR/SMALLPIE
Many of you may have seen Mayor Barrett’s announcement that restaurants and bars may open today, June 5th at 2:00pm at a 25% capacity. Like many other restaurants we know, we were very surprised by the sudden decision that was made with no warning and no clear instruction. Although we understand the frustrations and needs causing many bars and restaurants to open their doors to in-store dining, our restaurants at this juncture will not be one of them. Frankly, we don’t know when we will be ready to allow in-store dining again. The safety of our team, our guests, and our community is at the front of mind of everything we are currently doing and is most certainly the main reasoning behind this decision. We would love to host you soon but not until we feel 100% confident in the safety of our cozy (i.e. small) indoor spaces.
In the meantime, we will continue to operate Honeypie, SmallPie, and Palomino with their current curbside pick-up and delivery business models. We are also about to make operational changes to both SmallPie and Palomino in order to better accommodate walk-up ordering as well as socially distanced outdoor dining. You can expect to see our patios tables out soon and we are very excited to have you join us there for drinks and pie and all our from-scratch food.
Way more important than all of this, we would like to encourage all to safely and peacefully participate in the absolutely inspiring and revolutionary world-wide protest for human rights that is taking place – in any way that you can. If you do join a march, wash your hands (a whole bunch), wear a mask, get a COVID test at one of the free testing facilities in our community – we all need to be healthy in order to make history. And make sure to wave at us if you march by our doors. We’ll be waving back.
We sincerely appreciate all of the love and support you have shown us through these trying months. Your support has allowed us to not only remain in business but to keep our health insurance and 401k plans in place for all of our team members – including those who have been on furlough. We continue to fight each day to make it to the other side of this so we can welcome everyone back to our tables again.
Love to our Community.
Love to our Team.
Black Lives Matter.
No Justice. No Peace.
HOOLIGANS MILWAUKEE
HALLELUJAH! AT LAST! Hooligans officially OPENS FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR DINING TOMORROW at 2pm! And they said the day would never come. Our lines have been sterilized, and they are waiting to serve you! (Before you comment, yes, there will be beers other than Bud Light…). We will be operating under the new guidelines of safety and cleanliness, and we must keep our capacity at 25%, so PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US. We cannot wait to see you beautiful people! Thanks for sticking by our side during all this!
IRON GRATE BBQ (via owner/chef Aaron Patin)
[25 percent capacity] allows us 6 seats on our patio only… we can live with that till we’re ready all the way around. Still planning on never opening indoor dining room again.
JUDY’S ON NORTH
If you are coming down to the east side we invite you to continue to stop by for pick up only, for now…as we will not be opening our dining room this weekend. But even more we envite those who are participating in any protests, conversations, movements or activities that support seeking justice for #GeorgeFloyd and also in recognition of how much #BLACKLIVESMATTER. We support you. WE SEE YOU. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. We love you all and can’t wait to service you, in the meantime we’ll continue to work on keeping you safe when the time is right to have you all dine in.
JUNIOR’S COCKTAIL LOUNGE
OPEN FROM 1PM TILL MIDNIGHT
DINE IN IS AVAILABLE
LAKEFRONT BREWERY
We are aware of the City of Milwaukee’s announcement permitting bars & restaurants to open at a reduced capacity this Friday. Please note that we aren’t fully prepared to safely open our Beer Hall doors to the public quite yet! More info soon…
LANDMARK LANES
Given the sudden nature of the Mayor’s announcement on Thursday with little time to prepare, we will not be opening until we’ve had a few more days to reevaluate our health and safety measures and discuss with our entire team how we can best serve you safely and responsibly.
While we are eager to resume service and get our staff back to work, we remain mindful of recent events and the movement for equality that continues within our communities. We stand in solidarity with all those impacted by systemic racism and prejudice, and we will continue to remain an inclusive and safe space for all. We appreciate your patience and continued support.
Stay tuned for a reopening announcement in the coming days…
LAZY SUSAN
The city of Milwaukee just announced that bars and restaurants can open up tomorrow at 2 PM. There has been zero communication with any restaurant or bar. It seems like a deliberate ploy to pull people away from protesting by giving them bars and restaurants to go out into this weekend. Will we not be opening. We support science backed data to open doors not political ploys. We support regulations in place to help keep staff and customers safe. We support peaceful protests and the need to focus on the immediate issue in front of us now. Not the need to open.
LOST WHALE
Whale will not be opening tomorrow. We will continue to operate as we are through our carry-out window and online ordering. Stay tuned as we try and navigate through all of this. We will announce a plan to reopen when we feel confident that our friends and family will be safe within our walls. In the meantime, stop by our window for a cocktail kit so we can continue to support the amazing people on the front lines fighting for equality. We believe that is still our highest priority.
LULU CAFE & BAR
Hello all you amazing pals of LuLu! Your continued support has been so appreciated; we really can’t say thank you enough for keeping us busy! We’re sure you’ve heard the news that the city of Milwaukee has lifted the ban on dine in for restaurants as of tomorrow afternoon. As much as we’d love to have all your gorgeous faces back in here, we firmly believe that rushing into opening up is not in anyone’s best interest, and we’ll therefore be sticking to curbside pickup and carryout for the foreseeable future. As always, we’ll keep you in the loop if anything changes – when we know, you’ll know! Big love to all of you!
MERAKI
We will NOT be opening for dine-in this weekend, but continue to do takeout & curbside. Thanks for your ongoing support.
Keep making your voice be heard Milwaukee, stay vigilant! Be safe & well, your perseverance is wonderful.
MERRIMENT SOCIAL
We hear you and are excited to have you back..However, given the breakneck style of information that was delivered today, we will need time to plan. Until then…Be Strong. Be Safe. Be Excellent to Each Other.
MILWAUKEE BRAT HOUSE
We’re OPENING tomorrow! Starting with limited capacity in our dining area & bar, at 2pm on Friday, June 5th. Plus, we’re opening up the front patio & beer garden, along with our upstairs dining room & bar.
MISS MOLLY’S CAFE & PASTRY SHOP
The City of Milwaukee has decided that bars and restaurants can open tomorrow, June 5th, at 2pm for dine-in service with 25% occupancy. We closed our doors completely to walk-in customers on March 24th to insulate and protect our staff, and in turn our customers, as much as possible from COVID19. We cannot, in good conscience, open ours door on a whim because we are all of a sudden allowed to with no forewarning and no plan. The last 2.5 months have already felt almost insurmountable, I can’t wrap my head around that the onus of opening safely and cautiously is put on the small business owner. Especially, in the City of Milwaukee, one of the hardest hit areas of coronavirus in the state. We miss you, love you and are forever grateful for your support through this but we have to keep our distance until we can safely be together again! In the meantime, we are rolling out our new summer menu tomorrow with lots of fresh, tasty options available for curbside, walk-up and delivery! We also have new dinner meal kit options every night of the week. See you tomorrow, with masks on (smiles underneath)!
THE MOTHERSHIP
Ok. We are fucking pissed. The city of Milwaukee is giving us no notice whatsoever that we can reopen during the biggest protests of our lifetimes and during a pandemic probably to distract people from being on the streets. So I’m going to say this: we will not be reopening outside of regular take out this month. Mayor Tom Barrett you have let police officers tear gas citizens of Milwaukee and MPD arrested one of my employees who was making solution to aid people harmed by tear gas. You are able to be recalled and we are fucking pissed. Fuck the 50 bars in Milwaukee who wanted to open as a sign of protest during a protest to better the lives of some of the people who support your establishments. You are fucking problematic! Please do not let us bars distract you from what is going on in the world. Please continue to push for real change for black lives, POC lives, the human beings in the LGBTQ+ communities.
NESSUN DORMA
Hey everyone. I am so glad that you follow our page, I am so glad that you love our food, I am so glad that you love our cocktails…but unfortunately for those of you that love our ambiance, you will have to wait a little longer to come and sit within our walls. I know the city said we could open but I feel for the health of our employees and our neighborhood that we should wait a while longer. I know this means we will probably take a hit when the other places open their doors and we will make it through that. I just don’t want to jump the gun…the consequences are too high.
I hope we open soon. We miss everyone so much! We want the walls to fill with laughter and love. We just have to be patient. We will get there.
In the meantime, we will still be doing carryout Tuesday through Sunday dinner 5pm to 9pm as well as Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10am to 2pm.
OAK & SHIELD GAMING PUB
We are yet again exasperated, frustrated, and disappointed at the abject lack of planning shown by today’s announcement that “Surprise! restaurants can open tomorrow.” Fortunately, we published our own guidelines in response to the last Surprise! announcement specifically so we can behave with planning guided by evidence. The Oak & Shield remains open for carry-out and delivery only.
ODD DUCK
NO. We will not be opening just because a strange last minute decision was made, awkwardly, before a weekend, in the middle of the largest global protests for human rights, perhaps ever.
We think it is incredibly irresponsible of our city to give us NO WARNING and NO GUIDELINES for reopening. We want to stay healthy and be able to take care of you responsibly. That takes money, information, time and planning. We are working on that, but restaurants aren’t magic. It might feel that way sometimes to you, and we want to make you feel that way! But the reality is that it takes a huge, well-oiled machine of systems, structure, thought, planning and people to pull that off.
NOT TO MENTION – you all have more important stuff to do. We’ve got to change this world, and we will feed you on the other side. Get back to taking care of your families, taking care of yourself and TAKING IT TO THE STREETS. We will be here for you later on. BE SAFE.
O’LYDIAS
See you tomorrow at 2!
OSCAR’S PUB & GRILL/OSCAR’S WINNER’S CIRCLE
It takes a lot of work to get a restaurant ready to reopen, and we’re just not there yet. We’re still doing takeout and delivery, and we’ll let you know when we’re ready to open our dining room. In the meantime, be good to each other and stay safe out there!
THE PACKING HOUSE
The mayor has announced City of Milwaukee bars and restaurants may reopen tomorrow, Friday, June 5—The Packing House Restaurant dining room will remain closed at this time for the reasons outlined below.
Our Drive-thru will continue to operate 7 days a week, 3pm to 8pm Saturday through Thursday and 11am to 9pm Friday.
We truly appreciate the phone calls and social media messages expressing excitement for the return of dine-in service but it is not practical for us to reopen our dining room with a 25% seating capacity. Restaurant profit margins are narrow enough as it is and if we can only fill 25% of our seats we’ll be losing money—we can’t do that coming off the heels of a nearly three month shutdown.
Just a week ago the conversation from local government was that we were in a pattern to expect a continued closure for weeks to come—today’s announcement therefore comes as quite a surprise. In fact, we already made plans as a family and team to take a week off from July 3 through July 9 and during that time the restaurant will be closed completely.
Please understand reopening isn’t as simple as just throwing our doors open—we have to bring back staff, retrain, schedule, restock everything from supplies to food and alcohol, work even more closely with our purveyors, work on kitchen prep, redo menus, rearrange our dining room and bar seating to meet changing guidelines, reschedule live music, and the list goes on and on.
The bottom line is we look forward to welcoming you back to The Packing House but only when we can guarantee the full, high quality supper club experience you’ve come to enjoy from us since 1974!
Thanks so much for your understanding and continued support—we appreciate each and every one of you and wish you and your family a safe and fun summer!
PIZZA MAN
WHOOO HOOOOO! Pizza Man Downer Ave. opens for dinner on June 10, 2020. Until then we still have carry-out! #MKE #pizza
POINTS EAST PUB
Points East will continue take-out/curbside service. We would love to see you all again, but this is too soon. We are still finishing the front bar floor etc and couldn’t open if we wanted to. We plan on opening when the 50% capacity is available. Stay strong Milwaukee, stay healthy.
POTAWATOMI HOTEL & CASINO
It’s Game On!
We are excited to announce our soft opening on Monday, June 8 for invited guests, followed by a larger public opening on Wednesday, June 10. All Fire Keeper’s Club members will need to make a reservation in advance to play. No guests will be allowed to enter without a casino reservation. The online reservation system is now live! Reservations can be made and viewed via the online player account: account.paysbig.com
The safety of our guests and team members is paramount. We have a number of new measures, including wearing a mask at all times. View all of them here: paysbig.com/what-to-expect
Follow our social media channels for more updates on upcoming changes!
PUDDLER’S HALL
The owners and staff are still on the company yacht somewhere in the Caribbean, so we won’t be able to open this weekend. If the slushy machine breaks down, or we run out of those tiny drink umbrellas, we’ll scuttle this b**** and come back in to work.
THE ROMAN COIN
Due to the ridiculously short notice by the City of MKE, The Roman Coin will not be opening on Fri June 5th. We are not yet prepared to open in a safe & responsible manner. The safety of our staff & customers is our priority. Please be patient as we work to make this happen.
SABBATIC
We will not be opening this weekend. We hope those out there fighting for what’s right continue their efforts, and stay safe.
SANFORD
We’re sorry Milwaukee (and all Sanford supporters) but we won’t be ready to welcome you into our dining room by tomorrow.
Reopening requires much more than getting the green light to do so.
We appreciate the efforts put forth by the city in finding creative ways to increase a very limited capacity while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Unfortunately much more needs to be done before we may have the opportunity to serve you in-house.
We hope you will keep ordering from our Carry-out Menus. Although it’s not the same experience as dining at Sanford please know the opportunity to serve you curbside has been our pleasure and we do not take your support for granted.
Be safe. Be well. And thank you for you understanding.
Cheers!
SANTINO’S LITTLE ITALY
Santino’s Little Italy has decided to wait until next week Tuesday June 9th to open dine-in service on a reservation basis. Stay tuned for reservation details! We love and appreciate all of you have supported us these last few months!! Meanwhile, we will continue offering our touchless curbside pickup service this weekend. Salute!
SILK EXOTIC
All #SilkExotic locations are open Fri, Jun 5 at 7PM! We’ve implemented extensive health+safety measures & are following all state+federal guidelines re sanitization, protection & response. Reduced capacity & physical contact. Silk MKE open at 7PM (Jun 12 open for lunch at 11AM).
SMOKE SHACK
Here’s a little update on our re-opening plans. It’s important for us to get this right, so we’re going to take it day by day. The safety of our team and our patrons is our #1 priority.
We’ve been utilizing our order & pickup window over the last few weeks and well…it’s awesome! So, here’s our plan for this weekend:
Starting today (6/5) at 2 PM:
🔥: Patio is OPEN on a first come, first served basis.
🔥: Food & drink ordering can be done online, via phone or through our handy dandy window on the patio. Need another beer? We’ll serve ya right through the window.
🔥: All food will be served takeout-style.
🔥: Our team will sanitize tables between every group.
🔥: Our staff will always be wearing masks and will wear gloves when handling your food & drinks.
🔥: Hand sanitizing stations are in place for your use.
🔥: Carryout & delivery are still available!
This is a whole new world for us and we’re so thankful for your support. We can’t wait to see you all this weekend.
SNIFTERS
Snifters is open to the public! Our kitchen remains open and serving food until 10pm. DJ starts at 9pm playing music for those who have been looking for a night out with drinks. To ensure the safety of all our staff and customers know that this will be a very limited experience. Temperature checks at the door. No cover. Patio is open. Doors open at 7pm.
TACO STOP MKE (BAY VIEW)
Yeah we’re not reopening neither…as much as we would love to. This is too rushed and seems like a ploy.
THIRD COAST PROVISIONS
We hear you and are excited to have you back..However, given the breakneck style of information that was delivered today, we will need time to plan. Until then…Be Strong. Be Safe. Be Excellent to Each Other.
THIRD SPACE BREWING
We are putting new procedures in place to keep you and our staff safe once we reopen our taproom but we aren’t ready yet. We hope you will continue to support us Curbside or in your own local spots where you feel safe shopping and drinking at this time. Thank you for your understanding. Link in bio for Curbside ordering.
THE TIN WIDOW
There are no easy decisions in these challenging times, only best guesses and crossed fingers. We believe that The Tin Widow is more than a bar – we are proud of the community of friends, colleagues, and supporters who have been a part of our growth and success over the past six years. For now, in a best effort to maintain safety and health for each of you, as well as our staff and the residents that share our building, we will not be reopening for traditional service. We hope and plan to restart carry out service next week, and will be continuously monitoring the conditions in our neighborhood and community as we go forward. Between now and when we are able to serve you cocktails once again, we wish for each of you that health and safety, our supports, colleagues, and friends.
THIS IS IT!
We posted earlier today that we will be reopening tomorrow (Friday 6/5) after the Mayor said that bars were allowed to. We had a plan in place for months to reopen safely (our earlier post highlighted this), but upon further reflection, information, and listening to all of your responses (which mean the most to us) we decided to go back on our decision. We will reflect on what to do Monday. Right now we took our action, now we can focus on the real action we are fighting for: Change.
THE TONIC TAVERN
Tonic Tavern WILL NOT be opening tomorrow. Please don’t fall for this distraction tactic. There is a larger and greater struggle on which to focus. So instead of raising a glass please raise your voice. Raise a sign. Be loud. Be heard!
TRANSFER PIZZERIA CAFE
Although the City of Milwaukee announced yesterday the immediate reopening of on-site dining with limitations for safety, Transfer Pizzeria Café will not be opening our dining room in June. Safety considerations and financial realities drive our decision making process.
WE WILL CONTINUE OUR 11a to 9p DAILY CURBSIDE PICKUP SERVICE AND DELIVERY.
In the mean time, we will be introducing OUTDOOR DINING options that conform to City/State guidelines, so stay tuned!
On June 30th we will make a determination about opening our doors again. We look forward to serving you soon!
TRICICLO PERU
For now we’re sticking to curbside takeout and outdoor seating only.
THE TWISTED FISHERMAN CRAB SHACK
WE OPEN AT 2PM TODAY!
COME GET TWISTED
TWISTED PATH DISTILLERY
Regardless of what our state’s leaders have decided, this pandemic is still raging. There are more pressing issues at hand than enjoying a drink in a bar.
We will not be opening for service until we can adequately ensure the safety of our staff, patrons, and community.
If you were at all wishing you could support us tomorrow, please support these organizations instead:
The ACLU of Wisconsin
Black Lives Matter
The Milwaukee Freedom Fund
Support each other, love each other. Be safe.
UNCLE WOLFIE’S BREAKFAST TAVERN
UP & UNDER PUB
We’ve missed you all! Doors open at 4 tomorrow!
VELOBAHN COFFEE & CYCLE
We are making a stand with many of our other restaurant/bar owners in Milwaukee and will not be re-opening this weekend. Our local leaders are not following their own plan to a safe re-opening.
The city and our nation is suffering and it is not fair that politicians would use the already hurting small businesses to distract the good people of Milwaukee from their right to be peacefully protesting.
Stay safe and we look forward to serving you in the near future.
VICTOR’S
It’s the news we’ve been waiting for! Mayor Barrett has given bars and restaurants in Milwaukee the OK to open on Friday, June 5. Victor’s bar will be open at 3 PM and WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!!!
VOYAGER
We said it before:
PEOPLE OVER PROFIT.
We are remaining shut to the public until our community is safe—from both infection and police brutality. Stay safe, and stay vigilant.
WALKER’S POINT MUSIC HALL
Despite today’s announcement allowing bars to reopen tomorrow, we plan to remain closed for the time being. Please support or continue supporting the vital efforts being made throughout our city and beyond.
WARD’S HOUSE OF PRIME
We reopen tomorrow, Friday June 5! And we couldn’t be any happier. We can’t wait to see you again.
WERD BAR
Tom Barrett released a new phase into “Reopen Milwaukee”. With the new 25% capacity rule including employees we would not be able to run the Wërd Bar to its fullest opportunity to give a experience to our guests! At this time… we are sad to announce that we will remain closed until Tom Barrett releases the current rule to a higher capacity for a small Bar or Buisness to survive off of.
There is a petition online if you feel the need to sign to get us and EVERY bar in Milwaukee to re-open with a capacity to survive. With that being said, will will be implementing new cleaning and sanitizing rules at the bar. We hope to see you all soon!
THE WHITE HOUSE BAY VIEW
We are now accepting reservations starting on Saturday June 5th, we are so excited! As a team for weeks we have been curating our opening menu, and addressing our floor plan which will now include outside dining on our beautiful new terrace. Please call to reserve your table! 414-897-0495 @ The White House Bay View.
WHO’S ON THIRD
We will be open tomorrow at 4 PM!
THE WICKED HOP
More great things (and changes) coming to The Hop! While we are pleased to have our doors open again, we are doing our best adjust back into operations with implemented safety and cleaning practices to ensure a positie and safe experience.
We will be offering our FREE five-mile delivery, take out, and online ordering while we open our dining room and patios! Please remember our capacity is reduced at this time. We hope to see you soon and just in time for BRUNCH TACOS tomorrow! Thank you for your patience, understanding and flexibility while we get back into the swing of things. Cheers, Milwaukee!
WOLSKI’S TAVERN
We know you’re ready for Wolski’s, but Wolski’s isn’t ready for you. We’re still working on some maintenance work around the bar, so while we’re legally allowed to open, we’re electing to stay closed until we’re ready. We’ll let you know when we plan on opening. Until then, stay safe!
WOODY’S
I just heard the news that Milwaukee bars are allowed to open tomorrow at 25% capacity. I have mixed emotions about that but Woody’s will not be opening for at least another week. I’m working on improving the ventilation inside the bar and until that’s completed we’ll remain closed. The safety of our friends and bar tenders is our first priority. I hope to see you all soon. Take care.