New Bar and Restaurant Planned for Hampton Avenue
Viral Lounge would offer food, drinks and hookah.
Site of future Viral Lounge, 5403 W. Hampton Ave. Photo taken Oct. 18, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
Kelton Buford has worn many hats throughout his entrepreneurial career; the 33-year-old leads several businesses encompassing everything from construction to personal care to real estate investment.
In his latest venture, Buford will step into the hospitality sector, with plans for a new bar and restaurant, Viral Lounge. If a license is approved, the business is slated to open at 5403 W. Hampton Ave., bringing food, drinks, hookah and entertainment to the former site of Hampton House. But social media indicates it is already operating.
Videos on social media show scantily clad women dancing in the space while individuals throw money at them, smoke and hold liquor bottles. A liquor license request is currently pending before the Milwaukee Common Council and no other licenses, according to online city records, have been issued for the property.
The business would occupy 2,400 square feet within the two-story, corner tavern building, according to a license application. Floor plans, submitted by Buford, include both bar and banquette seating, as well as a DJ booth and public entertainment stage. The license requests permission to host instrumental musicians, bands, comedy acts, dancers, karaoke and DJs.
From the bar, Viral Lounge plans to sell a variety of alcoholic beverages, as well as tobacco products. Meanwhile, the kitchen would serve up comforting dishes, including options like chicken wings, Cajun pasta, lamb chops, french fries and macaroni and cheese.
Buford expects to generate 45% of his revenue from alcohol sales and 45% from food sales, with the remaining 10% split evenly between entertainment fees and cigarettes sales.
Although Buford is the licensee for Viral Lounge, Brandon Redd will conduct daily operations at the business.
Viral Lounge is planned for a 1955 building located at the edge of the Hampton Heights neighborhood. An affiliate of T Moore Investments LLC purchased the property for $325,000 in August 2022, according to city assessment records.
According to the license application, the proposed hours for Viral Lounge are Monday through Thursday from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from noon until 2 a.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Buford did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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