Restaurants to join Mayfair
Smoke Shack, AJ Bombers, Holey Moley coming to growing retail strip
Hospitality Democracy will take three of its popular restaurants to the growing Mayfair Collection in Wauwatosa: the Smoke Shack barbecue restaurant, AJ Bombers burger bar and Holey Moley Coffee + Doughnuts.
The restaurants are expected to open in late summer and fall, said Joe Sorge, a partner in the restaurant group along with his wife, Angie Sorge, and Marcus Investments. The group also owns Onesto and Swig restaurants in the Third Ward, among others.
Hospitality Democracy opened the original Smoke Shack in 2012 and Holey Moley in 2014 in the Third Ward, and the original AJ Bombers opened on Water St. downtown in 2009. Since then, another AJ Bombers opened in Madison, and stands are at Miller Park and on the Summerfest grounds.
The Mayfair Collection restaurants will be in a freestanding building at the development, north of W. Burleigh St. and east of I-41. The 6,280-square-foot building will be near a Homewood Suites extendedstay hotel and attached to a parking garage.
HSA Commercial first approached the restaurant group in 2014 about opening restaurants, but the group wanted to wait, Sorge said.
The development’s momentum persuaded Hospitality Democracy to move ahead with plans last year, Sorge said, citing stores including a Nordstrom Rack, a Whole Foods and a nearby Meijer grocery store, as well as the hotel and apartments still to be built.
“Having a hotel right there is a big deal,” Sorge said.
The Mayfair Collection already has a Pizza Man and Osgood’s, a fast-casual burger and custard shop, among its restaurants. Bartolotta Restaurants recently revealed the names of the next three restaurants it will operate at the development, a taqueria, a casual French cafe and a pub specializing in craft beer.
The Hospitality Democracy building, which is being designed and built by Rinka Chung Architecture, Flux Design and ADK Design, will place Smoke Shack in the eastern half, where it can have a patio like that at the restaurant in the Third Ward.
Smoke Shack is expected to open first, probably in late August, so it can make use of the patio before cold weather returns, Sorge said.
All three restaurants will resemble the originals, down to the overhead “bombers” that drop peanuts on tables at AJ Bombers.
“They’ll have their own character, but you’ll know exactly where you are when you walk in,” Sorge said. “It’ll feel familiar.”
Holey Moley will be between Smoke Shack and AJ Bombers. The shop is expected to serve frozen custard sandwiches made from doughnuts, as the Holey Moley stand does at Miller Park.
The restaurants will be similar in size to the originals, with seating for 48 to 60 customers, Sorge said. “These are smaller restaurants intended to be an experience,” he said.
All will have nearby parking spots for order pickup. The restaurants will share coolers, storage and other equipment, but each will have its own line for preparing orders. Doughnuts for Holey Moley will be made in the Third Ward.
Each restaurant would be open for lunch and dinner daily to appeal to Mayfair Collection customers. Sorge said the restaurants will require staffs totaling 50 or more people.