Milwaukee-based Bars & Recreation last weekend marked the official opening of its newest immersive entertainment concept, The New Fashioned, located in downtown Milwaukee’s Deer District.
A series of grand opening events and fanfare — including appearances by Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens and members of the U.S. Olympic curling team — drew an estimated 2,000 people over two days, said Marla Poytinger, president and CEO of Bars & Rec, which now operates six different immersive entertainment concepts across four locations in Milwaukee. Read more about the company’s growth as the subject of a recent BizTimes Milwaukee cover story.
Announced early this year, The New Fashioned aims to celebrate the favorite food, drinks and pastimes that have long defined Milwaukee and Wisconsin culture — but with a twist. It features HyperBowling, which uses video game-like technology for a modern take on an age-old game; dartball, a cross between darts and baseball; and all-season street curling on the venue’s covered outdoor deck.
On the food and beverage side, its menu offers a mix of Wisconsin staples, such as butter burgers and custard, and lighter fare, like salads and sharable snacks. In addition to Old Fashioned flights, patrons can sip on a broad range of local beers, cocktails and Sprecher craft sodas from the 50-tap, self-serve pour wall.
In keeping with its hyperlocal theme, The New Fashioned’s retail marketplace sells a selection of Milwaukee-made or -themed products such as chocolate bars by Indulgence Chocolatiers, candles by Milwaukee Candle Company, t-shirts and hats by Giltee and leather accessories by Tactile Craftworks.
Poytinger said the venue’s debut was “everything that we had hoped it would be.”
“The best feedback we received is that ‘we did the impossible’ in just three months – overhauling this massive space from a place that no one wanted to go to a place that has a fresh, magnetic energy that reflects the excitement in Milwaukee right now,” she said.
The sprawling two-story, 25,000-square-foot space was formerly home to Punch Bowl Social, which permanently closed in October. Bars & Rec struck a lease deal with the Milwaukee Bucks — the developer and owner of the Entertainment Block across the plaza from Fiserv Forum — shortly thereafter.
Revenue generated from activities at The New Fashioned is already higher than Bars & Rec had anticipated, and interest for both public reservations and group bookings is already strong, Poytinger said.
“We’re already trending toward at least one (private) event every day of the week,” she said.
Grand opening weekend included a ribbon cutting party with ticket proceeds benefitting the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation, a Sunday Funday Curling Party with ticket proceeds benefitting the U.S. Junior Curling Association, and a sold-out Midwest Nice Party with comedian Charlie Berens, with ticket proceeds benefitting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. The events raised $7,000 for those nonprofit organizations.
RNC update
The New Fashioned is not yet booked for the upcoming 2024 Republican National Convention this summer. Poytinger said there have been a few offers that the company ultimately turned down because they weren’t the right fit.
“It’s easily the largest, most prominent venue with the best view of Fiserv Forum, and now it has great food and service to back that up. We’re looking forward to figuring out its highest and best use during RNC,” she said.
