Two new vendors are slated to open at the Mequon Public Market, 6300 W. Mequon Rd., in the coming months.
Pizza Man, the iconic pizza restaurant –which is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary with surprise pizza deliveries – has plans to bring a menu at the market sometime this fall.
They will be joined by Aloha Poke, a restaurant focused on fresh poke bowls, from Hawaiian-inspired raw bowls and house flavors to "Pack Your Own Bowl" options.
"We live in the North Shore area, this is where we’re raising our families, so it’s always been something of a dream to be able to bring our work a little closer to home and the community we’ve come to love over the years" said Tom Wang, who owns all Wisconsin Aloha Poke locations, including the Third Ward, which opened in 2018 and Wauwatosa, which opened this week.
The news follows on the June announcement that three vendors (Bavette La Boucherie, Beans and Barley and Bowls) would not reopen at the Market due to hardships prompted by COVID-19.
The first of the vacancies was filled by Falafel Guys, who opened at the Market earlier this month.
"The Mequon Public Market is an ideal setting for a restaurant during these challenging times," notes owner and developer Cindy Shaffer. "As it allows for extensive outdoor and indoor socially distant seating that is shared by several vendors. This is more cost efficient than one restaurant managing a single building."
Shaffer also mentioned that several of the vendors are experiencing record sales especially with pick-up and delivery options available.
Aloha Poke, Falafel Guys and Pizza Man join a now-loaded slate of Market vendors including Anodyne Coffee, Café Corazon, Happy Dough Lucky Donuts, La Terre floral and gifts, Lil’ Tuna, Purple Door Ice Cream and Santorini Grill.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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