The Soup House Is Closing

“This will be our final week of service. Ever. Come say Hi! Come say bye. Just don’t cry,” reads an announcement from The Soup House.

After 21 years in business, the downtown restaurant is closing its doors on Thursday, April 29th.

Located at 324 E. Michigan St., the business is owned and operated by mother-daughter duo Mary (Mitz) Erickson and Ruby Erickson.

It relied heavily on downtown office workers, a scarce commodity once the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March 2020. The restaurant regularly operated only on Tuesday through Thursday with lunchtime service.

It will continue those hours for its final week. The Soup House will offer four house-made soups Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. Carryout and dine-in service are available.

Standard offerings of chicken and creamy tomato will be available on a rotating schedule, as will two new soups: BBQ chili (Wednesday only) and carrot coconut curry (Thursday). The popular buffalo chicken soup is available Tuesday.

You can order in-person or via phone, 414-277-7687. More information is available on The Soup House website.

Like many Milwaukee restaurants, the business was already closed for more than a month in the winter. But it reopened in February as a winter surge in COVID-19 cases ebbed.

Kileen Murphy and Renee Warschkow opened the restaurant in 2000, with Warschkow becoming the sole owner in 2004 and briefly renaming it TLC Soup Company. After five years working at the business, Ruby bought the operation in 2010 and was later joined by her mother in operating it.

Want some of the electric decor from the restaurant? The restaurant is planning a “rummage blowout extravaganza” in June. Those interested are encouraged to follow the restaurant’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

The restaurant is located on the first floor of the six-story McGeoch Building at the corner of N. Milwaukee and E. Michigan streets.