The next chapter is ready to be written for a Milwaukee institution.
For more than four decades, gruff but affable owner Mike Romans oversaw Romans’ Pub (3475 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.), a neighborhood tavern that was well ahead of the craft beer trend. The bar was known for an amazing tap list and Romans’ aversion to having pub crawls or other large groups stop in. Romans, considered the godfather of Milwaukee’s craft beer scene, passed away at age 69 on July 22, 2023, after a long bout with cancer and other health complications. The bar closed shortly after and was put up for sale.
A worthy owner has now been found.
Rob Zellermayer knows beer and the bar business, and he and his wife, Foga, are taking over the venerable Bay View spot, renaming it Busby’s and targeting an opening in April. Zellermayer is leaving his role as general manager at Ray’s Wine & Spirits in Wauwatosa, a job he’s excelled at since August 2017. Before that, he bartended at the beer-centric Sugar Maple.
Aside from the name – taken from one of the Zellermayers’ dogs – don’t expect massive changes from the Romans’ Pub experience.
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“Mike always took very good care of the bar and it doesn’t require a lot,” he said. “We’ll have small elements that put us into the building but in general will be very recognizable to those who knew and loved Romans’. It’s got such great welcoming energy. We’re going to remain with 20 taps. We’ll pay attention to both import and craft beer. We will also be focused on classic cocktails and have a concise but heavily rotated wine list. I just want it to be a comfortable place where you can have German lager or Boulevardier and do a shake of the day.”
The idea of taking over one of Milwaukee’s most iconic beer bars didn’t immediately appeal to Zellermayer. But after working on the deal with Mike’s brother Randy, who inherited the building and the business, it became a reality.
“Around the time of Mike’s passing it was brought up to my attention as a possibility,” Zellermayer said. “I wasn’t interested at that point, but moreso because it was too close to his passing. After thinking about it, I realized I should investigate it. We worked at it diligently with Randy. (The process has) been very quick and very long at the same time. It’s definitely something we weren’t seeking out, but we left it open. Every day it seems more natural and destined to be.”
For the past several years, Zellermayer’s duties at Ray’s have included running Ray’s Growler Gallery, the small bar above the venerable liquor store, and planning the many block party-type events Ray’s hosts, including the Wückfinter outdoor event on Sunday. He told the Ray’s staff of his plans to leave to open Busby’s after the event Sunday evening.
Zellermayer is well aware that he isn’t taking over just any corner tavern.
“(The importance of the bar is) not lost on me,” he explained. “I’m not totally sure I fully understand how much this means to others besides me and my wife. Nobody has been apathetic to the news. I do feel to a certain degree that I’ve been chosen to be a steward to the history of the building. The history goes well beyond even Mike’s 45 years of ownership. We’re balancing between maintaining that legacy and including our family in that history.”
