Milwaukee is no longer a “good bagel” desert, thanks in large part to Allie Boy’s Bagelry & Luncheonette, 135 E. National Ave., which has contributed to the scene with its East Coast-inflected offerings from toothsome housemade bagels an schmears to an ever-changing menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and creative noshes.

Thanks to consumer demand, the little Walker’s Point bagelry and luncheonette will soon be expanding its footprint to include a second location on Milwaukee’s less bagel-rich East Side.

The new bagel shop is slated for 2100 N. Farwell Ave., in a 4600 square foot space on the south side of the building which was originally used to accommodate large-scale events at Good City Brewing. And, if all goes well, Eastsiders could get their first taste as soon as late spring of 2024.

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More bagels, please

The pursuit of a second location was largely spurred by demand. 

“We’ve been looking for more space for quite some time,” notes Ben Nerenhausen, who operates Allie Boy’s alongside his wife, Staci Lopez. “The reality is that we’ve outgrown our space. Every week brings more tickets, more production… and I’m not even sure how we’ve made it work.”

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Originally, the couple thought they could make due by renting a commercial kitchen space to assist with bagel production, which often tops out at over 1300 bagels on the weekends. But when the East Side space was recommended to them by a broker, they saw a greater potential for expansion.

The East Side space, which was built out with a functional catering kitchen, would allow them to install higher capacity equipment for the bakery while also accommodating dine-in customers with a space that could seat over 60 guests.

Currently, Nerenhausen says, their baker can produce 60 bagels at a time using the deck ovens in their Walker’s Point kitchen. And, to meet demand, that means baking from early in the morning until well into the afternoon. In addition, they’re also using an entire walk-in cooler as a space to accommodate proofing dough.

The new heavy-duty, high-capacity ovens, which will be installed in the East Side kitchen during the remodel, will allow them to bake up to 240 bagels at once, quadrupling their production.

“Ultimately, we’ll be able to produce – not only more bagels – but also a more consistent product overall,” says Nerenhausen. 

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Slow & steady wins the race

Nerenhausen and Lopez will be working with Dan Beier Architects and Adam Kirchner of ADK Design to design and build out the new bagel shop, with construction beginning just after the first of the year.

When asked what guests can expect from the new location, Nerenhausen says that things will be “business as usual” for the first few months, as they get things up and running and develop processes that allow them to produce and deliver bagels to the Walker’s Point location.

“But once we work those details out,” he says, “The hope is that the East Side will be the spot for hot, fresh bagels and bulk orders. We’d also love to be able start using the counter at our Walker’s Point location to seat guests, instead of using it as a staging area for takeout orders.”

“We also hope that this expansion will allow us the freedom to continue to evolve,” he notes. “Having a centralized bakery opens up various possibilities for the future, including additional locations.”

Not surprisingly, Nerenhausen notes that they will be working to add several employees to their team in the coming months.

“We’ll be looking for all kinds of people to assist with the expansion,” he says. “And we’ll be entertaining a wide variety of applicants, from brand new bakers to more seasoned industry folks. We love working with folks who can bring different things to the table.”