OMC: A lot of people say that the first thing they do when they walk through the Summerfest gate is head to Saz's for mozzarella or a combo plate. Now that you have a new area (near the remodeled Miller Oasis) your business will probably increase, right?

Saz: People are creatures of habit. It's amazing. To think that last year, the combo plate alone, we sold 35,000 of that. But, you know, it's more than just numbers. It's all the fun behind each plate. You look out and normally it's a guy and a girl, spending time together and eating the food. It's nice to be a part of that.

OMC: Did the connection with Summerfest act as a springboard to other festivals?

Saz: Yes. After that, we got into State Fair. Everything just started snowballing from there. A good friend of mine had a trailer, so we let him use our products to sell at some festivals. That got us some exposure. The festivals ran in with the old ballpark and the Brewers being hot, then they kicked it up and they wanted the catering part of it. That's how that part started. We've been full-time with (the catering business) for 12 or 13 years.

OMC: Does it strike you that thousands of people who have eaten your food at festivals or catered events have never been in the restaurant?

Saz: I laugh about the whole thing. Somebody gave me a rib recipe and the other things kind of came up.

OMC: Do you think it would be possible, in this era of mega-chains like T.G.I. Friday's and Cheesecake Factory and other places like that, for somebody to start a restaurant today and replicate the success you've had?

Saz: Yeah, I do. It's still America. These guys come up with their concepts and they can make it work. I look at it this way -- people are going out to eat more than ever before. Look at Applebee's, they're probably doing 15 percent of their business in carry-outs. People just don't cook at home any more. Even though you're at a small place, it gives you an opportunity with your carry-out food. Obviously, we don't have the capital behind us like these chains have, but I think there are guys who can do it. There are some exciting places opening up in town, like in the Third Ward. Some of those guys will grow.

OMC: Location is such a key part of a restaurant's success. You're tucked away under the freeway here and next to the railroad tracks in a kind of out-of-the-way location. Did you ever think about moving or even getting rid of the restaurant to focus on festivals and catering?

Saz: Not really. This (restaurant) is still the mother lode. It all evolves from this. You have to remember that we've had some failures, too. We had the Depot restaurant in Waukesha, which never made money. We never lost money, but we never made money. We had the Longhorn Ranch out in Lake Geneva, which was a great place. We had it for four months and ran it into the ground. We had rodeos out there. We really had some neat stuff, but it didn't work.

We had a location at the Grand Avenue mall, but that didn't really work out. We were there for 15 years.

OMC: How did you get into the bar/restaurant business in the first place?

Saz: I started out as a bartender. I worked for Jerry Cohen at Major Goolsby's and worked for Pep Palmer. He and I are grade school buddies. I learned a lot working for him.

I was actually selling copy machines for 3M, and Pep opened his place in Wauwatosa in 1970 or '71. I was working with him, and I learned a lot, and then Jerry Cohen and Tom Shepard called me because they were opening Major Goolsby's and they wanted me to work there. We were open almost a year before it was Major Goolsby's. We were listed in the phone book under "The Bar with No Name." I think Jerry wanted to call it "East of Mecca," but that didn't happen.

I also worked at Morry's on Prospect. Jerry and Morry and Pep were all good friends. They just told me, "Keep your nose clean and work hard." It sounds so basic, but it's true.

OMC: How has the bar business changed in 35 years?

Saz: It's funny. Morry used to give us $50 in the drawer, with no 10s and no 20s. Now, on a Saturday night, the kids would come in and try to cash checks. We had to do it. We ended sometimes with $10 in cash in the drawer and the rest was checks. That was before TYME (ATM) machines and all that.

It's funny, because pricing used to be a bigger deal back then. If you sold a beer and somebody down the street was selling it for 25 cents less, people would go to the other place. Now, kids come in and they don't think about that. They have credit cards and they'll buy martinis and Jaeger bombs and they don't care how much things cost.

I'm 60 years old now. When I first started, I had rail vodka and Smirnoff. Now, I have over a dozen vodkas and I should probably have 20 of them. How many rums did you have back then? We had Bacardi and we had rail rum. Now, you've got all the flavors of rums. Now, it's almost like if you say that you have a rail (liquor), people look at you funny. It's almost like they think if it's not expensive, it can't be any good.

OMC: How have you changed in the time you've been in the business?

Saz: After I was in business for a few years, I thought I was bulletproof. I started thinking pretty grandiose thoughts and finding things wrong with everybody else and what they were doing. I remember at that time a lady friend of mine sat me down and said, "You've got to stop taking things so seriously. If you don't, it's time to call it quits." That really hit me. I decided it was time to step back a little bit. You have to enjoy yourself. If you're not enjoying what you do at work, it seeps into other parts of your life. You can't let it beat you up.

OMC: Are you enjoying what you do?

Saz: I still have fun. It's still exciting. One of the best things is that I've got so many key employees who have been with me 10, 12 or 15 years. They're like family. That makes it really special. You can't grow by yourself. You've got to have the people behind you. I don't have all the formulas. That's why I'm not the Cheesecake Factory or a place like that. We can try different things. I've been so fortunate in that regard.

There is always going to be a high turnover in this business, but you see that the strong survive. We had our 30th anniversary and I'm just as proud of that as the fact that we have products available in the grocery store.

OMC: What is your business philosophy in a nutshell? What is your mission statement?

Saz: I think I missed that class in college (laughs). I think it's about service. I always say it doesn't take a genius to put ice in the glass, but it takes a good person to get the drink out. I tell my employees that there are 1,200 bars in Milwaukee. People can go anywhere they want. We've got to give them a reason why they want to come here. It's all about service. You have to be as good as you can. It's the same thing with food. You have to try to buy best quality food we can buy and give the best service you can.

The other thing is that I try to make it so anybody can come in here. You can come dressed in a suit for a business meeting or you can be in blue jeans. I want people to be comfortable. If you make them feel comfortable and you give them good service, they'll keep coming back.

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11 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by thefinest on Dec. 13, 2006 at 12:55 a.m. (report)

I would just like to say it's not just the food that makes this place great it's all the people that work for him. They work hard and want you coming back for more...the ribs aren't bad either!

Posted by OMCreader on June 25, 2006 at 2:59 a.m. (report)

Donna said: Gluten Free--I love Saz's. My two youngest daughters have just been diagnosed with Celiac disease. It is so hard telling them that they cannot eat their favorite foods and finding a restaurant is so hard. We love Saz's and it sounds like we can keep doing so. Is it true?

Posted by OMCreader on June 20, 2006 at 11:52 a.m. (report)

KATHY said: SAZ HAS GIVEN TO THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY IN SO MANY GENEROUS WAYS - HE DESERVES THE BEST!

Posted by OMCreader on June 16, 2006 at 8:18 a.m. (report)

Derek said: I'm sure he's a nice guy but this place is one of Milwaukee's most over-rated restaurants. The BBQ sauce is bland and the food is just not good. Much better places for Que to be found in town.

Posted by OMCreader on June 14, 2006 at 9:58 p.m. (report)

JayBee said: "The Finest" for 30 years! Congrats, Saz...