Saturday marked the official last day of two Water Street hot spots, O'Danny's and Oak Barrel, located at 1213 and 1211 N. Water St.
"We've sold them," says Bob Leszczynski, who co-owned the bars with his brother Dave. Leszczynski signed the closing on Monday, but would not say who the new owners are. Word on the street, however, is that the La Crosse based chain, Brother's Bar & Grill, have bought the watering holes.
Leszczynski says their reasons for selling are many.
"We've been doing it for 12 years now," he says. "It started out as four brothers, and now we're down to two, and we're both doing other things."
Plus, with so many bars and restaurants opening up downtown lately, he says business was not as great as it was during the first seven to 10 years.
"Unfortunately, with everything from the police cracking down on occupancy, the Marquette Interchange a mess, and the added taxes for small business owners, it is just not a friendly time to own a bar Downtown."
Brothers, the speculated buyers, operate several bars, mostly in Wisconsin college towns and in Minneapolis. The Brothers franchises feature pool tables, video games and a casual menu with fare including chicken wings, soups, burgers and salads.
Stay tuned to OMC as more information becomes available.
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.”
