Got a fond memory of eating dinner out at a Ground Round? Maybe you remember being able to throw peanuts on the floor (years before AJ Bombers added rocket-like peanut delivery to the equation). Or maybe you remember standing on the scale to find out what your burger would cost on "Pay What You Weigh Night"?
The restaurant’s heyday took place in the 1970s and 1980s for its children's parties, showing old time silent movies and cartoons on a big screen and their mascot, Bingo the Clown.
And Jack Crawford, CEO of the Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative, is banking on that nostalgic connection as he spearheads expansion efforts in Wisconsin.
The newest Ground Round -- which is open for business -- replaces Maxwell’s restaurant on the property of The Midway Inn & Suites Hotel on South Moorland Road.
The newly renovated restaurant has an updated menu with more than 80 items and daily specials as well as separate lunch and kids’ menus. In terms of configuration, the venue abides by the familiar two-room layout, which offers both a family dining area and a sports bar and lounge.
"We’re excited to return to the Milwaukee area and welcome guests to see we’re not only back, but even better than they remember," states Crawford, "Brookfield is our fifth location in Wisconsin, joining our other restaurants in Neenah, Onalaska, Oshkosh and Tomah."
The Brookfield Ground Round Grill & Bar will be owned and led by local franchisee Azeem Virani of Virani Enterprises, LLC.
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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