The greater Milwaukee area has officially lost one of its long-term breakfast and lunch spots.
The Wooden Goose Cafe, 1556 W. Mequon Rd., has made the decision to close after 30 years in business, due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like many small businesses, the restaurant – which survived a move from their long-time location on Port Washington Road to their current Mequon Road location in 2016 – was hit hard by the pandemic. In fact, the news of their closure came just two months after they officially re-opened for dine-in services on June 2.
The Schuster family shared the news with customers yesterday on Facebook.
With heavy hearts & after 30 years of business, we have made the very difficult decision for our Wooden Goose Cafe to close.
Due to COVID-19 & with a truly valiant effort, we were just unable to bounce back. Unfortunately any outdoor dining was not an option at our restaurant location. We also want our faithful and awesome staff to remain well. We thank our wonderful & loyal customers of so many years for your kind patronage and support. We'll sure miss your smiles & watching your families continue to grow. After 42 years in the restaurant business, it's time to retire and move on to the next chapter of our life's journey, whatever that may hold.
If anyone out there that would possibly be interested, we do have The Wooden Goose Cafe for sale (BIZBUYSELL.com). We know it may sound crazy to try to sell a restaurant during a Pandemic, but the Goose still has wonderful potential. Our Goose was an absolute labor of love!
Thank you to everyone, stay well & God Bless.
Bob, Claire & Andrew Schuster
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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