Facing Extended Flood Closure, Cafe Hollander Reassigns 70 Employees

Flooded kitchen at Cafe Hollander in Wauwatosa. Photo courtesy of Lowlands Group.

Last weekend’s intense storms—and accompanying rainfall—sent the Menomonee River over its banks and into Wauwatosa Village, flooding buildings and cutting power to hundreds in the immediate area.

Cafe Hollander, 7677 W. State St., was among the hardest hit, with vast amounts of water pouring into its kitchen Sunday morning.

“We started getting calls around 6:30 in the morning when our team started showing up to get ready for brunch,” said Eric Wagner, CEO and founder of Lowlands Group, which runs the Wauwatosa restaurant and seven others throughout the Milwaukee area and Madison. “At first, we thought it was going to be a bit of a hassle and maybe we’d open a bit later after we got some of the moisture out.”

But the water continued to rise, reaching four feet deep inside by mid-morning. Employees were sent home for the day and the restaurant announced its temporary closure.

Crews began assessing the damage once water levels receded, Wagner said, noting that the restaurant will likely require extensive renovations.

Though staff returned Monday to begin cleanup, the restaurant’s extended closure—expected to last roughly six weeks—requires a temporary relocation to other restaurants within the group.

“We have about 70 employees, and we’ve placed all of them in our other restaurants,” Wagner said. “We shouldn’t have any disruption to anyone’s employment.”

The nearby Buckatabon Tavern & Supper Club, another Lowlands restaurant, will expand its hours and offerings to accommodate workers and customers during Cafe Hollander’s closure. Starting Aug. 15, Buckatabon will open weekdays at 8 a.m., serving breakfast food, Bloody Marys and coffee. Weekend brunch will be available Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cafe Hollander is aiming for a late-September reopening, Wagner said. If possible, he hopes to open the bar area sooner to participate in TosaFest, which runs Sept. 5 through 6.

Wagner also touched on the timing of the flood, noting that it occurred during the restaurant’s busiest season. “This is when a big chunk of our sales happen, so it makes it all the more painful that it was now, instead of March or April,” he said. “It makes the whole thing so much more expensive.”

While the situation is “really painful from a business perspective,” Wagner is grateful Lowlands has the ability to keep staff employed.

“Our hearts really go out to the smaller businesses that I think it’s going to be a real struggle for,” he said, also referencing residents who have lost irreplaceable keepsakes and more in the floods. “We’re trying to keep that in mind as we go through this, too.”