Pizza Man Owners Purchase Downer Avenue Building
Famed pizzeria is one step closer to reopening. Owners still mum on project.
2597 N. Downer Ave, the former Pizza Man, in 2023. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Pizza Man‘s new owners are one step closer to reopening the restaurant on Downer Avenue.
Bayside Mgmt, LLC purchased the 6,313-square-foot restaurant space at 2597 N. Downer Ave., according to a press release from Mid-America Real Estate Group. A sign permit for Pizza Man is pending approval at the same address.
Thomas Schafer, registered agent for the entity, is also co-owner of Pizza Man. He, along with business partner Krzysztof Zielinski, acquired the business from Za Man LLC in early 2024.
Brokers Dan Rosenfeld and Andrew Prater represented the seller, Bridge33 Capital, in the transaction. The firm still owns much of the surrounding commercial corridor.
The purchase represents only a portion of the building, which also includes the Downer Theatre. Terms of the sale were not disclosed and the transaction does not appear in state real estate transfer records.
The most recent news caps off a puzzling past month for the restaurant, which announced the permanent closure of its final location in the city of Milwaukee on April 16.
Less than two weeks later, however, Pizza Man filed a permit request to install its distinctive blade sign at the Downer Avenue address, one of its previous locations; the restaurant operated there from 2013 until 2023.
Schafer, a real estate investor, and Zielinski, a Milwaukee industry veteran, each own a 48.5% share of the business. A third partner, Jose “Miguel” Mayoral, is the restaurant’s executive chef and is listed as the registered agent for the limited liability company.
Pizza Man, once a beloved operation, has evolved throughout its half century in business, in the last decade becoming a polarizing establishment — many diners hold strong opinions on it and aren’t afraid to speak out on social media.
The new ownership group has not spoken publicly about plans for the reopening. No further permits have been filed since April.
Bridge33 Capital maintains a presence nearby. The firm acquired much of the Downer Avenue commercial strip, including the Downer Theatre space, in 2020 for $11.25 million.
In February 2023, Bridge33 filed a lawsuit against former Pizza Man owner Za Man LLC, an affiliate of F Street Group. According to online court records, the case was settled in early 2024.
Pizza Man maintains a location in Wauwatosa. Previous locations also include those in Oak Creek and Mequon.
Several attempts to contact a representative of PM2 MGR LLC have been unsuccessful.
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