Torrential rain in the Milwaukee area over the weekend of Aug. 9 and 10 led to flash floods that damaged area homes and businesses. Here are some area restaurants and bars that are closed temporarily as they repair the damage.
Cafe Hollander in Wauwatosa closed temporarily due to flooding
Cafe Hollander, 7677 W. State St., Wauwatosa, shared on social media on Aug. 11 that the restaurant is closed due to damage incurred from flooding of the Menomonee River, which flows alongside the restaurant.
“Our Cafe Hollander – Wauwatosa is getting an unexpected remodel, so we are temporarily closed,” the restaurant wrote on Facebook.
Cafe Hollander’s locations in Brookfield, Mequon, Milwaukee’s east side and Madison remain open, as well as the Lowlands Group’s sister restaurant, Buckatabon, located directly across the street from Hollander in the Tosa Village. Buckatabon was not damaged by the flooding, but its main patio remains closed so the city can monitor the pedestrian bridge and river below, the restaurant said in posts on social media. Its State Street patio is open.
“Our hearts are with the Village and everyone affected by the recent floods,” the Hollander post continued. “Stay strong, Tosa!”
On Aug. 13, Lowlands Group Founder and CEO Eric Wagner said Cafe Hollander would be closed for six weeks as they repaired the damage to the restaurant’s lower-level kitchen.
The Mothership in Bay View closed temporarily after flooding
The Mothership, a corner cocktail bar at 2301 S. Logan Ave. in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood, is closed temporarily after incurring excessive water damage to its basement.
“I have no clue what temporary means but the loss we endured at the hands of the flood Saturday is going to put us out of commission for a while,” owner Ricky Ramirez posted on the bar’s Instagram account.
According to the post, the bar’s basement was flooded “from floor to ceiling,” destroying equipment, its entire stock of merchandise, rare bottles of liquor and more.
“You name it, we lost it,” the post continued.
The bar is located near the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bay Street, an area of Bay View that saw significant flooding during the Aug. 10 storm.
Ian’s Pizza downtown closed for a week
Ian’s Pizza, 146 E. Juneau Ave., will be closed for about a week due to sewage backup in the basement of the restaurant where all of its storage is.
Managing Partner Ryan Donovan said around 1:30 a.m. Aug. 10 employees noticed flooding in the basement as they were preparing to close at 2 a.m., and they immediately closed the restaurant.
Donovan said they have since cleaned up what they could, but they are waiting on a professional cleaning service.
“We can’t open until that’s done. Our best bet at the moment is that maybe we’ll be open by next week, fingers crossed,” Donovan said on Aug. 12. “There’s so much damage everywhere. It’s really hard to get the help that we need.”
He said his insurance covers $25,000 for sewage backup, which is about how much he estimated in damages from the flooding.
The Newport bar in Bay View is temporarily closed due to water damage
Bay View corner bar The Newport, 939 E. Conway St., is closed as it recovers from water damage as a result of the Aug. 9 and 10 storms.
Owner Tim Creed said that he optimistically hopes to reopen his bar by Aug. 14 or 15.
“We’re still determining what equipment is lost, but it’s probably going to be significant,” he said on Aug. 12.
That includes over $10,000 in beer and liquor alone, but when factoring in equipment, Creed estimates the bar could be looking at more than $50,000 in losses.
“And that doesn’t include loss of income,” he said.
Water reached about waist high in the rear space of The Newport’s three-level basement, where its office, ice machine and liquor storage are located. The drains in all three areas of the basement failed.
“We were down there as the backup was starting,” Creed said. “We were pumping and cleared the basement completely, then it came right back, only faster. The pump couldn’t keep up, and we just had to walk away.”
The bar’s ice machine is a total loss, and the bar’s compressors and two furnaces may be unsalvageable, as well, Creed said.
“Our biggest concern is getting open so our employees can get back to working,” Creed said, noting that his staff has been working voluntarily to help clean and clear the basement.
“We have the best staff in Milwaukee,” he said. “We’re going to have a much smaller bank account, but hopefully we’re going to come back stronger.”
Milwaukee sports bar and restaurant The Slow Buffalo will be closed for ‘an extended period of time’
The Slow Buffalo, 3872 S. 92 St., shared on Facebook that its basement flooded during the two-day storm that began the night of Aug. 9.
The sports bar and restaurant, which opened on Milwaukee’s southwest side in March, shared an image of the business’s basement that shows debris floating on water that is near the top of the stairs.
“Currently our basement, like a lot of other homes/businesses, is flooded,” the social media post read. “We will be closed for an extended period of time. This will not be a quick clean up. We will hopefully know more in the next few days.”
Owner Jeremy Chounard could not immediately be reached for comment.
Chounard and business partner Joseph Vagnini also own The Hale House, 10539 W. Forest Home Ave., Hales Corners, and The Local Bar & Grill, W191S6409 Hillendale Dr., Muskego. Both businesses are open and were not impacted by flooding.
This story was updated to add new information.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee-area restaurant, bar closures due to flooding include Cafe Hollander, Mothership
Reporting by Rachel Bernhard and Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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