Sophie Bolich

Paper Table Gains New Vendor

Po'Manz Food, a southern-inspired catering company, has filed a license application for the Paper Table space.

By - Sep 9th, 2022 01:54 pm
Site of Paper Table. Photo taken August 5, 2022 by Sophie Bolich.

Site of Paper Table. Photo taken August 5, 2022 by Sophie Bolich.

A new vendor has joined Paper Table, Milwaukee’s “ghost kitchen” food hall.

The new vendor, Po’Manz Food, is planned to open for business Nov. 1, according to a license application recently filed with the city. Cheticka Cotton, a restauranteur with more than 10 years of experience is listed as the sole owner of the establishment.

Paper Table, 733-737 N. Milwaukee St., had a quiet launch earlier this summer with its debut vendor, Blac Bistro. Another restaurant, MilTex Kitchen, followed soon after. The downtown food hall is now poised to add another restaurant concept in the coming months.

Po’Manz may be new to downtown, but the business has been operating as a catering company and pop-up since 2010. Most recently, Po’Manz was a vendor at the Waukesha County fair, offering dishes like crab boil, cajun gumbo, boneless wings, deep fried crawfish and other southern-inspired fare.

Cotton did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication. An occupancy permit has not yet been filed on behalf of Po’Manz Food.

Two more restaurants, FreshWerks and Wingstop, are also slated for the space. FreshWerks, which is expected to serve breakfast foods, burgers, wraps, sandwiches and smoothies, is set to open any day. Wingstop’s occupancy permit is still pending. If accepted, the aviation-themed chicken-wing chain would be the first national franchise to join Paper Table.

Once Po’Manz opens, Paper Table will have five vendors. More than half of the food hall’s available stalls remain available.

Paper Table is far from the city’s only food hall, but is unique in its takeout and delivery-focused business model.

A project of CloudKitchens, a startup from Uber founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick, the food hall leases turnkey kitchens to restaurant owners, partnering with apps like DoorDash, Grub Hub and Uber Eats for delivery.

The food hall does have limited dining space, and there is a kiosk for ordering in person. Otherwise, the business accepts for pickup on the Paper Table website.

Each vendor at Paper Table has the liberty of selecting its hours. The license application for Po’Manz food indicates that the restaurant would be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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