Bars & Rec’s new Deer District concept to spotlight local brands, celebrate Wisconsin culture

Milwaukee-based Bars & Recreation today unveiled the details of its newest, high-profile location, The New Fashioned, which will bring an array of “hyperlocal” food, beverages, immersive activities and merchandise to downtown’s Deer District.

The concept is slated to open April 5 in the former Punch Bowl Social space along the Entertainment Block across the plaza from Fiserv Forum. News of Bars & Rec’s plans to take over the two-story, 25,000-square-foot venue surfaced in early January, just about two months following Punch Bowl’s closure.

At a joint press conference with the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday, Bars & Rec shared more specifics about the kinds of activities that will be offered at The New Fashioned and announced partnerships with several local businesses, including Benson’s Restaurant Group as the venue’s exclusive restaurant and catering partner.

“We are bringing together the absolute brightest and best that Milwaukee has to offer,” said Bars & Rec president and CEO Marla Poytinger, who launched the business in 2012 with her husband, David, who now serves as chief innovation officer.

The couple has grown Bars & Rec from a single paint-and-sip bar in the Historic Third Ward to now six immersive entertainment concepts across four physical locations: AXE MKE and Nine Below on the East Side, Amped/Game Show MKE in The Brewery District, NorthSouth Club in Walker’s Point and virtually formatted Splash Studio, along with another soon-to-open location in West Allis. 

Celebrating all things Wisconsin 

The New Fashioned’s first floor will feature a 50-tap self-serve pour wall of local beers and cocktails as well as craft sodas and root beer from Sprecher Brewing Co., a quick-service “tailgate lounge” located just inside the entrance to the Deer District’s outdoor Beer Garden, a frozen custard stand and Old Fashioned flights “made and muddled tableside.”

Its slate of activities will include social bowling, outdoor all-season street curling on the patio and second-floor deck; dartball, which is a cross between darts and baseball with roots in Milwaukee legion halls and church basements; and Wisconsin Souvenir Milkcap Pulltabs.

The concept’s retail component is being headed up by Steph Davies, owner of The Waxwing boutique in Shorewood, who is curating a selection of “high-end Milwaukee-centric goods” from local makers, including Chloe Lee Longmire of Chase My Creations, Kevin Goudzwaard of Milwaukee Candle Company, Jenny Aicher of Fern & Nettle, Adam and Lisa Gilson of Giltee Apparel, and Sarah Heck and Anna Warren of Tactile Craftworks.

Additionally, works by local artists — including city skyline photography by Nate Vomhof –will be on display throughout the venue. Other local business involved in the project include Drink Wisconsinbly, Valentine Coffee Roasters and Bauer Sign & Lighting.

Creating a destination

Similar to Bars & Rec’s other locations. The New Fashioned will seek to be a destination in and of itself. That means it won’t rely solely on foot traffic from Bucks games and other events at Fiserv Forum, said Poytinger, who pointed to the company’s reservation-based model and private event bookings as key drivers of business.

“We are also going to be doing a lot of programming that I think the former tenant didn’t lean into as much,” said Poytinger. “We can host things like euchre tournaments and live music and excellent opportunities to drive our own guests into this location, eat the delicious food, drink the amazing local brews and drinks we have and we don’t necessarily need to rely on Fiserv Forum; that’s icing on the cake for us when that traffic comes into the plaza.”

With Benson’s Restaurant Group corporate executive chef Alex Sazama at the helm, The New Fashioned’s food menu will center on local staples like butter burgers, hot ham and cheese, mac and cheese curds, fish fry and classic desserts. Among the “elevated” offerings on the catering menu for private events are passed appetizers, carving and action stations, a Wisconsin cheese curd buffet and cream puffs.

For Benson’s, which operates Onesto, Blue Bat Kitchen, Smoke Shack and The Edison in the Third Ward, AJ Bombers on North Water Street and The Bridgewater Modern Grill in the Harbor District, the partnership with The New Fashioned means broadening its reach and carving out a piece of the high-volume, quick-turn business Deer District is known to attract.

“Our goal is to always focus on finding great opportunities to have craveable food, personal hospitality in an exceptional environments and this place checks all those boxes,” said David Marcus, managing director and CEO of Marcus Investments and Benson’s Restaurant Group. “The amount of activities that people can do around here are endless, and I know our people — with a focus on craveable food as part of this partnership — are going to absolutely blow it out of the park.”

The Bucks’ partnership with Bars & Rec has pre-COVID origins. The two organizations had spoken in the past about other Deer District opportunities, so when the Punch Bowl Social space became available last year, there was an open door.

“We were really looking for someone who could not only utilize and take over the space but really activate it, and the difference is they’re local, which we love,” said Belot. “Their track record of success is unparalleled in Milwaukee but also in this segment of ‘eatertainment’ and entertainment, so it just seemed like the perfect fit.”

Bucks president Peter Feigin touted Bars & Rec as the first women-owned business to operate as a tenant in the Deer District and noted the partnership among a handful of other high-profile projects the Bucks’ real estate and development arm has landed recently, including a five-story, mixed-use building proposed by J. Jeffers & Co., an 4,500-capacity music venue by Madison-based FPC Live that will break ground soon and The Trade hotel, which opened in May.

In addition, the Bucks have a signed letter of intent with Madison-based North Central Group to develop a second hotel at the Deer District. Additional details on that project will be announced in the coming months, said Belot.