This Saturday, June 28, Dairyland is closing at 3rd Street Market Hall (275 W. Wisconsin Ave.) The burger joint, also known for its scratch-made frozen custard, will open at 11 a.m. and will go “until we’re outta food,” says owner Kurt Fogle.
Mid-Way Bakery, Dairyland’s sister business, will also be closing. Fogle says the two businesses were asked to leave by the market hall’s operators. They will be replaced by Bebe Zito, a restaurant serving burgers, chicken sandwiches and ice cream, with three locations in the Minneapolis area. It is slated to open in the former Dairyland/Mid-Way space this summer.
Dairyland and Mid-Way have anchored 3rd Street Market Hall since it opened in 2022. Fogle operates the businesses with his wife, Katie Fogle, who is a pastry chef, and with chef Joe McCormick.
The Milwaukee Business Journal reported that: “The businesses are leaving after their lease was terminated, McCormick said. That lease had originally based the rent payment on a percentage of sales, but Dairyland had renegotiated the terms to a flat rate. A clause in the contract allowed the food hall to end the lease if another tenant that would pay more emerged.”
“We don’t have the resources to open another restaurant, but we’ve survived a lot to make this thing hang around, and we’re gonna try,” Kurt told Milwaukee Magazine after the closure was announced.
