Blac Bistro Will Join Paper Table Food Hall

Milwaukee’s elusive new culinary hub has been called a virtual food hall or a “ghost kitchen.” It goes by the name Paper Table, is located at 733 N. Milwaukee St., and has now secured its latest vendor, Blac Bistro, which will join MilTex Kitchen at the food hall.

Blac Bistro co-owners Albert W. Burrus III and Michele Burrus, both Milwaukee natives, have over 15 years of experience in the food industry and also operate their own catering business, Black Diamond Catering, according to the restaurant’s license application. Both the prospective restaurant and the catering company are operated under the umbrella company Blac Carbon LLC.

The Burruses, a married couple, are putting the final touches on their restaurant as they prepare to open in July. Inspired by the couple’s love of seafood, Blac Bistro’s menu will highlight Italian and Creole food, including flatbreads and pasta dishes alongside catfish and jambalaya. The restaurant is proudly Black-owned, said Albert Burrus, and will offer dine-in and carry-out options as well as a customizable meal prep service.

Paper Table has the space to house more than a dozen restaurant concepts that will prepare food exclusively for delivery. The company behind the developing food hall is CloudKitchens, a startup from former Uber founder and CEO Travis Kalanick. Virtual food halls cater to areas where food delivery is in high demand. The concept is simple: CloudKitchens provides kitchen space and equipment for numerous restaurant concepts in a single building and handles visibility and delivery logistics by partnering with delivery apps such as DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats.

The result is a stripped-down business that eliminates the hospitality aspect, operating almost factory-style to produce meals for takeout and delivery, a continuation of the approach to which most restaurants pivoted during the early COVID-19 lockdowns. Though restrictions have since loosened and restaurants have returned to in-person dining, startups like CloudKitchens are seeking to capitalize on the elevated demand for delivery. As for the restaurants, operating within a virtual food hall helps to eliminate costly overheads associated with opening a traditional restaurant, which provides an opportunity for restaurant owners who aren’t yet ready to graduate to a brick-and-mortar establishment.

When Paper Table launches, Blac Bistro will be open Sunday from noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and closed Monday according to the restaurant’s license.