The Vanguard isn’t afraid to shake things up. On top of occasionally adjusting its menu in new and exciting ways, the owners of the Bay View bar and sausage emporium have shown no hesitation to occasionally break format during their first 11 years in business. The most notable way they change things up every year is its annual Halloween transformation into an entirely different business with a fully different focus.
Past Halloween-adjacent pop-ups have included the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant concept, a single-night seafood venture called “Hook Line & Sinker,” a “Restaurant About Nothing” Seinfeld tribute, a night as an ’80s-era comedy club and cocktail lounge known as “The Punchline” (which even included a drop-in set by actor/comedian Jon Daly), a Cheatin’ Heart Honky Tonk Saloon, a Thai-inspired collaboration with Goodkind chef Paul Zerkel, and more. This year, The Vanguard gave us the scoop on the 2025 Halloween concept, and it’s arguably the funniest one yet.
“We’re going as Hooters,” co-owner Chris Schulist tells Milwaukee Record.
Yes, from 5 p.m. to close on Thursday, October 30, The Vanguard will temporarily operate as “Whooterz,” a lighthearted nod to the chauvinistic chain restaurant that’s presently mired in financial hardship. Co-owner Jim McCann says the pop-up’s menu will offer “a Vanguard spin on Hooters fare.” He also says staff members will be able to dress however they’d like to during the pop-up (so maybe hold off on those comments for the time being, readers!).
The Hooters in Madison, the chain’s last location in the state of Wisconsin, permanently closed in June of this year. So if you want to partake in food that’s vaguely reminiscent of Hooters, the The Vangua…er, Whooterz is the place to be on Thursday, October 30. Stay tuned for more information on the food and drink offerings as the pop-up’s date approaches. Whooterz.
