It looked like such a rosy spring and summer for the businesses on Old World Third Street, near Fiserv Forum: a likely Bucks run to the championship, big concerts, the Democratic National Convention and its 50,000 participants. Plenty of foot traffic, leading to plenty of sales.
With that promising outlook shattered by the coronavirus pandemic, the operators of one restaurant-bar on Third took it as an opportunity to remake the place.
"We both look at each other and say, 'How can we make this tragedy something positive?' " said Bobby Wiltgen, a partner in what was Cantina and now is Third Street Tavern, recalling his conversation with the tavern's general manager, Jack Roman.
They had taken over the location, 1110 N. Old World Third St., after Matador ended its run there; they stuck with the Mexican theme but changed the name.
But the kitchen was too small for that sort of restaurant, Wiltgen said (the space previously held a dueling-pianos bar that served snacks). Cantina's operators removed some tables because the kitchen wasn't big enough to keep pace with demand of the large dining room, Wiltgen said. (Full capacity would be 400 people.)
Going to a smaller menu made sense to Wiltgen and Roman, who came up with the "skinny burgers" — old-fashioned smashed burgers — for the menu, along with cheese steaks and fried-chicken sandwiches.
The tavern's opening was delayed two weeks, though, because the pandemic's strain on meatpacking made the preferred beef unavailable, Wiltgen said. The price of beef also doubled for a time, he noted.
Patrons have said the classic style of burger reminds them of going to places like Leon's Frozen Custard on the south side with their dads. These patties, though, are made from ground strip-steak and prime-rib trimmings, Roman said, but served simply, a classic American cheese-onions-pickle combo on a white-bread bun with some substance to it.
The fried chicken sandwich likewise is kept to basics. "If we can perfect a really simple chicken sandwich, it's something people can come back for," Roman said.
For the competitive eater, Third Street Tavern has a six-stack burger challenge that's six patties at 24 ounces of meat, with six slices of cheese, 7 ounces of potato tots and onion ring that's free if finished in eight minutes or less. If not, it's $29.95.
"A lot of people think it's pretty simple. Before you know it, they're at 7½ minutes," Roman said.
Winners get their names on a board of champions and a T-shirt. The rest are acknowledged with their names on a challenger's board.
To go with the classic-style burgers and to keep patrons engaged, the men added 1990s video games to the space, as well as a dartboard and a pool table.
The games, because they're frequently touched, are scheduled to be cleaned every 30 minutes, and gloves and sanitizer are available for patrons, said Wiltgen, whose Cream City Concepts also operates Who's on Third and Oak Barrel Public House, also on Third Street.
Another precautionary measure during the pandemic: The 15-item menu is readable over smart phones through a QR code, so customers don't have to handle paper menus, Roman said. And the staff wears masks (they're recommended for customers).
City rules would allow the tavern to operate at 50% capacity — which would be 200 people. "So, no," Wiltgen said. It's letting in no more than 70 diners at a time, and it has distanced outdoor seating along Highland Avenue.
Because of the limited seating, reservations are recommended and taken through OpenTable and by phone, (414) 897-8137. Customers also can call in orders for carryout.
With events at nearby Fiserv Forum and the Wisconsin Center District canceled and postponed, the tavern's customers mostly are former Cantina regulars, with some tourists beginning to return. On the tavern's grand opening weekend in late June, three groups of four from Iowa, Michigan and Chicago on weekend getaways dropped in, Roman said.
It's a worrisome time for business owners. Roman, who lives upstairs from a downtown area store that was vandalized and much of its inventory stolen, said he was struck by the owners' saying they didn't know if they could reopen.
"It is scary, and no one knows what's going to happen," Roman said. That was the night he began spreading news that Cantina would become Third Street Tavern.
"I really just wanted to make the point that, you know, if we're doing the right thing, we're being safe... if we're offering them a good product that fits the need, it's going to be OK."
Third Street Tavern opens at 4 p.m. Thursdays and at 11:30 a.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The kitchen stays open until 10 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bar is open later.
It's online at thirdstreetavernmke.com, and is on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Contact dining critic Carol Deptolla at carol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.
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