The new Kinn Guesthouse at 600 N. Broadway is inching closer to opening its doors in the historic Lawrence Block building. The highly anticipated boutique hotel, which will feature 31 guest rooms, as well as a rooftop events venue called The Lookout, is expected to open this March.

But there’s more news on the docket for the hotel, which will also house The Wolf on Broadway, a brand new restaurant concept from Wolfgang Schaefer and Whitney McAllister, the owners of Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern, 234 E. Vine St.

In fact, there might be few better operators than the husband and wife duo who purchased the purchased the historic Miller Brewing Company tied house in Brewers Hill and transformed it into a brunch destination and retail shop in 2018.

"We’re pretty excited,” says Schaefer, noting that the historic location on one of the oldest streets in the city was part of the attraction of opening in the new hotel. “The location is absolutely amazing.”

The restaurant, which Schaefer says will offer breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner service and weekend brunch, will be located on the ground floor of the hotel and will offer seating for about 50 guests inside, as well as patio seating on the sidewalk along Broadway.

The design for the restaurant will be completed with the assistance of 360, the design and build firm which brought the vision to life for Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern, and Schaefer says that the two venues will be distinctive, yet linked by a common aesthetic.

"It's definitely going to have a more casual vibe," says Schaefer. "It's not going to be a buttoned up sort of a place."

On the menu side, Schaefer and McAllister have hired accomplished chef Kristen Schwab to take the helm at The Wolf.

Schwab, whose career includes work at Fiserv Forum, DanDan, Odd Duck, Hinterland and Goodkind, was also the driving force behind the Phat Dumpling pop-up concept, along with her husband Chef Jeff Marquardt.

“We’ve known Kristen for some time,” says Schaefer. “In fact, she was consistent participant in the research and development Tuesdays which preceded the opening of Uncle Wolfie’s Tavern, and when they launched Phat Dumpling, we hosted one of her pop-ups. She has an incredible amount of both technical skill and creativity. So, she was the first person that we thought of, and we are so happy that the timing worked out for her to join us.”

Schwab will be joined by another Dandan alum, Val Bartram, who will work alongside her as her sous chef.

‘They work so well together and bouce ideas off of one another so well,” says Schaefer. “I can’t think of a better team to have working with us.”

As for the menu, Schaefer says that the concept is still being fleshed out. But he says guests can anticipate a menu filled with quirky, comforting fare and – very likely – some global twists.

“It will be familiar, hearty Milwaukee-style fare,” he says, “Always approachable, but also fun.”

Schaefer says that they will be working out the details of the menu in the coming months and guests can expect a series of The Wolf pop-ups to be held at Uncle Wolfie’s Breakfast Tavern starting in April.

Watch for more updates on The Wolf’s Instagram feed.