Mae Velma’s Corned Beef Plans Third Location
Business aims to open its third brick-and-mortar restaurant by February.
Site of Mae Velma’s Corned Beef, 3872 N. Teutonia Ave. Photo courtesy of Tyron Smith.
Tyron Smith remembers the excitement he felt as a child when his mother brought home corned beef to cook for dinner.
“It was kind of like caviar for us, like we were eating high on the hog,” he said. “We just loved it.”
One of five boys, Smith spent much of his childhood in the kitchen, picking up skills and knowledge from his mother, Mae Velma, while she cooked. That early experience led Smith to the hospitality industry, where he worked from the age of 15 at restaurants including Red Lobster, Applebee’s, Mader’s Restaurant, Balistreri’s and an assortment of Milwaukee-area steakhouses.
“I had a huge background in cooking, but my initial love for it came from my mother,” he said.
After her passing in 2015, Smith set out to open his own restaurant, Mae Velma’s Corned Beef, as a tribute to her. “When she passed, me being a mama’s boy, it just hurt me,” he said. “That was our bond, our bond was cooking, so I decided I’m just gonna do a restaurant and I’m gonna name it after my mother.”
Smith opened the first brick-and-mortar location for Mae Velma’s in 2017. A second location, along with a food truck, followed soon after. He’s now working towards a third brick-and-mortar location at 3872 N. Teutonia Ave. in the Franklin Heights neighborhood. The new restaurant is slated to open by the end of the month.
Smith said the restaurant’s success can be attributed to his focus on high-quality food. “I can’t control people, but what I can control is the food,” he said.
“I’ve been in places where I didn’t even like the staff, I didn’t like the atmosphere, I didn’t like the location but the food was good. And I’m like, ‘man this food is good, so I’m going.'”
In addition to corned beef — prepared exclusively by Smith and his son, Tyron Smith, Jr. — the restaurant serves fish, shrimp and chicken dishes, plus sides and a variety of desserts.
“We really try to stick to our guns as far as the food quality and making sure that when you come in — I’m not going to say 10 out of 10 times, but at least eight out of 10 times — it’s going to be exactly what you expect,” Smith said. “We’ve got some room for error and we’re not perfect, but we try our best to make sure it’s just really good food.”
Smith also took a moment to highlight his son’s contributions to the restaurant. “He’s been with me from the very beginning,” he said, noting that the restaurant has provided a positive outlet for the now 29-year-old.
“He’s primarily responsible for cooking the corned beef and the quality of the food … he helps me uphold that,” the elder Smith said. “And I’m real proud of him for that.”
The new restaurant will join existing Mae Velma’s locations at 4101 N. 76th St. and 7276 N. Teutonia Ave., as well as the food truck, which often parks near the corner of 55th and Center streets.
Smith, who is also a real estate broker, began work on the upcoming restaurant in November 2023. Another restaurant, J Spot, previously operated in the building, so changes have been mainly aesthetic. Throughout the past months, Smith said he’s added fresh paint, redone the drywall and given the space a deep clean.
A target opening date for the new restaurant is set for Jan. 31. It will offer both dine-in and carryout service, with proposed hours of 10 a.m. to midnight daily.
Updates on Mae Velma’s can be found on the business’s Facebook page.
Photos
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