Near West Side Wendy’s is Closed, Building For Sale
Restaurant was located in area experiencing tremendous change.
Site of former Wendy’s, 914 N. 27th St. Photo taken June 20, 2024 by Sophie Bolich.
Where’s the beef? You won’t find it at the corner of N. 27th Street and W. Kilbourn Avenue.
The Wendy’s restaurant that long operated there is closed, and the building, 914 N. 27th St., is for sale.
Alderman Robert Bauman confirmed the development to Urban Milwaukee on Wednesday, noting that the closure came at the end of the business’s lease and was likely due to “poor performance.”
The doors and windows were boarded up this week.
Priced at $525,000, the property is now awaiting new owners.
The 1,500-square-foot building was originally constructed in 2004. Its first — and only — tenant in the nearly two decades since has been Wendy’s.
The property, which also includes the restaurant’s drive-thru and parking lot, totals 0.34-acres. John Kardelis of Colliers International is handling the sale.
The Near West Side restaurant is one of 11 Milwaukee locations for the fast food chain; Paul Thompson of Bridgeman Foods II, Inc. is listed as the registered agent for all.
The location, along with others in Milwaukee, was established by former Milwaukee Bucks player Junior Bridgeman. While still playing in the NBA, Bridgeman purchased a handful of Milwaukee-area Wendy’s franchises. Over the course of the following three decades, his company acquired Fazoli’s, TGI Fridays and Chili’s franchises for a total of more than 450 restaurants. Bridgeman’s son, Ryan Bridgeman, now leads the operation.
According to city assessment records, an affiliate of Bridgeman owns the property.
The chain itself was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas, who opened the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.
The restaurant, known for its square-shaped burgers and signature Frosty desserts, now operates more than 7,000 locations across the world.
Wendy’s on 27th Street last applied to renew its food dealers license on June 3. A representative of Wendy’s did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
The area around Wendy’s has seen great change in recent years. Concordia 27, a redevelopment of a historic building, is nearing completion. In 2021, the city was successful in closing a nearby bar, Gare-Bare’s, with the owner saying those loitering outside his business were now Wendy’s problem. A Family Dollar store immediately north of the former Wendy’s was successful in challenging a city license denial in court. A couple blocks south, the State of Wisconsin is advancing its plans for a new office building at W. Wisconsin Avenue.
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