As high school buddies at Brookfield East High School Culley Winter and Matt Burkert dreamed about owning their own bar. After college relocated them to different cities for several years, the two found themselves back in Milwaukee in 2003 with a vision.
In May 2005, Winter and Burkert, along with their business partner Louis Chaves, purchased the old Fritz's on Second, and in a matter of weeks, they had revamped the space into the Fifth Ward Pub & Grille, 814 S. 2nd St. in Walker's Point.
With a few coats of fresh paint, some new floors and a new focus on food and entertainment, the three men have established their new business as a comfortable and fun place to grab a beer and a bite to eat after a day at the office.
"It just felt like the perfect opportunity for us," says Winter. "It's a great neighborhood that has a lot of potential right now."
Winter says that although they've "cleaned it up a bit" and added two 42-inch plasma screen HDTVs, the Fifth Ward Pub & Grill hasn't really changed all that much from the days when it was Fritz's.
"We actually still get a lot of the old Fritz's regulars coming in here," says Winter. "It's a very mixed crowd. There are a lot of people in their mid-20s, but we cater to everyone. My parents come in here all the time."
One new installment that Fritz's never offered, however, is the free wireless Internet service. Starting Thursday, Jan. 5, the free WI-FI will be available to anyone who can find a spot at either the 50-ft. bar or at one of the 16 tables.
But for those looking to escape the glare of the computer screen for a while, the pub offers a selection of 23 draft beers and, for now $6 pizzas and garlic cheese bread.
Winter says he's aiming for March as the grand opening of his kitchen, which will serve a standard bar fare as well as a few entrees and a late-night menu.
"The food aspect is what really motivated me to do this in the first place," he says." I am really excited about it."
Winter, with a cooking background that includes Eddie Martinis, will be the chef.
Fifth Ward Pub & Grille offers drink specials throughout the week that cater to everyone from the cosmo connoisseurs to the beer can chuggers. Tuesday nights feature $5 martinis after 7 p.m., Thursdays offer $1 pints of Blatz after 7 p.m. and on Sunday evenings the pub invites customers to an "all-you-can drink" buffet of sorts, with $10 getting you as many domestic taps as you care to enjoy.
Fifth Ward Pub & Grille is opens at 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and at noon on Saturday and Sunday. The Web site is fifthwardpub.com.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
