Final Approach Lands a New Owner
Aviation-themed restaurant is purchased by a longtime industry veteran.
Final Approach, 4959 S. Howell Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
After nearly 20 months on the market, Final Approach was finally sold.
State real estate transfer records posted Tuesday show that King Ventures sold the aviation-themed restaurant at 4959 S. Howell Ave., near Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, to Marsus LLC, which is registered to Marcos Isidoro Gamboa.
The original $2 million asking price was reduced to $1.75 million last summer. Gamboa bought the property for $1.3 million, or $450,000 less than the reduced asking price.
Gamboa co-owns and operates Tu Casa Mexican Restaurant and Bar, 3710 W. Lincoln Ave., which is in its 11th year of business. In 2025, the Milwaukee Common Council honored Gamboa as a community leader during its Hispanic Heritage Month program.
The property was marketed as a turnkey restaurant, though the online listing also noted it could be an opportunity for redevelopment, according to prior reporting by Urban Milwaukee. Gamboa did not respond to requests for comment about his plans for the restaurant.
Final Approach’s original listing included the 4,636-square-foot restaurant space, along with its furniture, fixtures, equipment, staff, name and likeness. It also included a neighboring property, 4939 S. Howell Ave., an 18,000-square-foot lot with a 750-square-foot structure that serves as a pedestal for a large cow sculpture, a remnant of the lot’s former Puddle Jumper’s BBQ.
Final Approach began operations in the Mitchell West neighborhood in 1993. It is open Saturday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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