New Restaurant Hopes to Become Northside ‘Favorite’
Favorites Restaurant & Lounge planned for 18th St. and Fond du Lac Ave.
Site of future Favorites Restaurant & Bar. Photo taken July 21, 2020 by Jeramey Jannene.
The former Working Class tavern is set to return next spring as a family-friendly eatery. Entrepreneur Tressa Jones plans to open Favorites Restaurant & Lounge at 1810 W. Fond du Lac Ave., offering a menu of “straightforward food with soul,” according to a license application.
The new business has been under development since 2019, when Jones purchased the property. Starting in early 2023, she worked with contractors to gut and redesign the triangular, two-story building. The project is now approaching completion, with a proposed opening date set for March 2025.
The updated, 2,800-square-foot business will include an all-new interior and fixtures, a bar, dining room and entertainment areas, well as a retractable garage door leading to a 890-square-foot outdoor patio.
Although construction is not yet finished, Jones already has a clear vision for the upcoming restaurant and lounge.
“Favorites is a place that brings families and the community together in a friendly, safe, clean environment while experiencing the ‘Urban Soul’ of our city and enjoying ‘Favorite Dishes’ of the day,” she wrote in the license application.
The restaurant’s proposed menu features soups, salads, and sandwiches including corned beef and fried chicken, as well as turkey and beef burgers. Dinner options range from shrimp and grits, chicken wings and jambalaya to chicken broccoli alfredo. Guests can also look forward to daily specials like Taco Tuesday, Wing Wednesday and Friday fish fry.
In addition to food, Favorites plans to offer alcoholic beverages and entertainment including instrumental musicians, bands, DJs, poetry readings and karaoke. The business anticipates earning about 50% of its revenue from food sales, 40% from alcohol and 10% from entertainment.
Jones is a seasoned entrepreneur who operates two childcare facilities on the North Side. Her prior roles include serving as a district manager at Payless ShoeSource and a store manager at ALDI. While the new venture marks her first foray into the restaurant industry, she noted that her past experience provides a strong foundation in hiring, management, budgeting, alcohol service and other necessary skills.
The building’s previous occupant, Working Class, closed before the pandemic. Jones paid $100,000 for the business, according to a license application. In 2020, she was a grant recipient in LISC Milwaukee‘s Brew City Match program.
A license application for Favorites is pending before the Milwaukee Common Council. If approved, the business’s proposed hours of operation are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to midnight.
Jones did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
