Maxie’s Expanding Catering, Takeout Operation

Though it’s been over two years since the initial COVID-19 wave that temporarily shuttered virtually every business in the city, restaurants are still feeling the repercussions. Dan Sidner of Black Shoe Hospitality said the industry right now is sink or swim.

Black Shoe operates Milwaukee restaurants Maxie’s, Blue’s Egg, Story Hill BKC and Buttermint Finer Dining & Cocktails. A veteran of the industry, said that restaurants, including his, are still dealing with the repercussions of the pandemic.

“People ask me, you know, ‘are you back? is business back?’,” he said. “And unfortunately, the answer to that is no. I mean, we’re not on life support anymore, but we’re also in a place where it’s really hard to make a profit right now. We have to find new revenue streams in order to be viable over time.”

Due to staffing shortages and price hikes on everything from butter to steel, Sidner said his restaurants are still well short of pre-pandemic sales.

However, the restaurateur and his team are making strategic moves in hopes of reaching pre-COVID sales by 2024. That includes adding a second building to the Maxie’s operation.

“We’re in a place where we see the future,” he said. “It’s just going to take time. It’s going to take a couple of years.”

The key to a post-pandemic recovery, according to Sidner, is tapping into new revenue streams. All of Black Shoe’s restaurants include a revenue-generating component outside of the traditional restaurant operation. For example, Story Hill BKC has an attached liquor store, Blue’s Egg creates custom wedding cakes and Buttermint has a small wine and liquor retail area.

At Maxie’s the focus is on catering and to-go orders. The first of Black Shoe Hospitality’s four establishments, Maxie’s, 6732 W. Fairview Ave., opened in 2007 serving a Cajun-Creole-inspired menu.

In 2016, Sidner bought the neighboring property, 6718 W. Fairview Ave., with plans to expand the restaurant. Six years later, major renovations are underway as part of a long-term, multifaceted improvement project.

First, the building would be converted into a commercial kitchen exclusively for catering operations and takeout orders. Currently, Maxie’s has to cut off takeout service during the restaurant’s busiest hours. The extra kitchen space would also allow the catering business to grow. Black Shoe regularly caters weddings, and Sidner said he hopes to break into corporate catering and catered meal delivery.

“This facility gives us the ability to be very flexible in how we deliver food to people,” he said.

The restaurant would also introduce a takeaway lunch concept: the “meat and three.” The concept allows customers to choose from a selection of proteins as a main dish, then add three sides. Sides at Maxie’s might include macaroni and cheese, grits and collard greens. Guests can order individual meals or scale up the order in multiples of 10.

The restaurant is still in the earliest phases of exterior renovations. Dependent on construction timelines, Sidner says he hopes to have the new kitchen running by November. A new patio is also in the works and may be ready by next spring. Maxie’s will remain open with regular hours throughout the renovation process.

Sidner said that these investments speak to his belief in the long-term viability of the business.

“At this point, if you’re in the restaurant business, you’re either acting to improve and change your business for the long haul or you’re shutting down,” he said. “Take your pick. Anybody who’s just standing there hoping for better days is in big trouble.”