Downtown Bar and Restaurant Announces Closure
Third Street Tavern closed its doors on Tuesday, but popular menu items will live on at sister establishments.
1110 N. Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Photo taken on November 6, 2020 by Mariiana Tzotcheva.
Third Street Tavern announced its permanent closure on Facebook Tuesday, citing “key infrastructure and safety issues” at its downtown location, 1110 N. Martin Luther King Jr Dr.
The business debuted in 2020, under Jack Roman and Bobby Wiltgen of Cream City Concepts, serving burgers, brats, chicken wings and other bar bites. Its pandemic-era opening marked the rebrand of Cantina Milwaukee, which opened in the space in 2018.
“We are saddened to announce the closure of Third Street Tavern,” the business shared in an online post. “It’s been an amazing 7 years, and we are very proud of the staff, some of whom have become like family.”
The owners noted that they’ve not yet ruled out the possibility of a new location, but stopped short of sharing future plans. “We love the brand and hopefully we’ll find a new home for Third Street Tavern in the future. But for now, thank you again for all the memories.”
The message also alluded to problems with the building, noting that operators were unable to find a compromise with the property owners, Andover Portland Avenue Associates, LLC.
“Unfortunately, after over a year of pleading with the property owner to fix key infrastructure and safety issues they wouldn’t come to the table with terms that allow us to properly manage and operate our business. It became clear that they were not interested in investing in the building or saving us as a tenant,” the post says.
Third Street Tavern occupied a commercial space within Riverfront Plaza, which is also home to Whitetail MKE and S’Lush Daiquiri Lounge & Events, as well as offices.
There are no open building code violations at the address.
The post thanked employees and loyal patrons and noted that key items from the tavern’s menu are intended to live on at its sister concepts, including Oak Barrel Public House, Who’s on Third and Who’s on Layton.
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Thanks for mentioning that there are no open building code violations at the address and the other retail and business occupants in the building. I am in no way am familiar with this situation, but I read about businesses closing and the announcements are often a bit circumspect about reasons. Maybe there are problems with the building. Maybe the owners of the business are simply issuing a parting shot and the building owner because they had a contentious relationship. Who knows?
Nonetheless, I appreciate you checking on things and not simply taking someone’s quote a face value. That happens way to frequently on news sites these days—basically, beefing up press releases and slapping bylines on them.