S’Blendid Cancels Plans For Bay View Cafe
Malee Thao announced the news Friday morning. Her sandwich-focused food truck, SANDU, will continue.
Site of future S’Blendid Boba Tea, 2229 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Photo taken June 20, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
Last summer, S’Blendid Boba Tea began making preparations for a new cafe in Bay View. The business, formerly a tenant at North Avenue Market, was slated to open at 2229 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
As of May 17, the move is dead.
“After an entire year of waiting for construction to start our dream project, we were met with disappointment after disappointment,” owner Malee Thao shared in a Friday morning social media post. “As a result, we found ourselves in an unfeasible position to try to start the process over again.”
“It broke our hearts,” Thao wrote. “But despite the heartbreaking news, we know our community will be in support of our decision.”
Thao said that future of the boba business remains uncertain. For now, she’ll continue to focus her energy on SANDU, a new food truck that recently debuted at Zocalo Food Park.
Supporters can visit Thao — and sample the food truck’s one-of-a-kind sandwiches — Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the food park, 636 S. 6th St.
SANDU is a personal project for Thao, who uses sandwiches as a vehicle for the umami-heavy Asian flavors that were interwoven with her childhood.
The restaurant’s Korean fried chicken sandwiches first appeared at S’Blendid’s North Avenue Market location, where they quickly garnered a strong following. The food truck serves the crowd-favorite chicken sandwiches, as well as Japanese chicken sandos, fruit sandos and more.
S’Blendid operated for less than a year at North Avenue Market, with Thao telling Urban Milwaukee she had outgrown her small stall. The market has since pivoted away from the food hall concept to include an anchor restaurant and bar.
The S. Kinnickinnic Avenue building is owned by Alyssa Moore according to city assessment records. Moore, who is associated with 17th Ward Properties LLC, owns several additional Bay View properties.
The storefront has a unique paint job — sky blue with puffy, white clouds — which makes it stand out from its neighbors along the commercial corridor. It has been vacant for several years.
Before S’Blendid, the building was slated to house Half Baked, a cafe and lounge. City records show business owner Kamal Shkoukani filed a number of permits at the address in 2021. Shkoukani now operates a food business, The Gallery, on the East Side.
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