Developer Kalan Haywood wants to revitalize a soul and seafood restaurant that he enjoyed while growing up in Milwaukee.
Haywood purchased the last remaining Redd’s Snapper Seafood at 60th Street and West Lisbon Avenue in April, and now he is planning a second location at 521-535 W. North Ave. in the Halyard Park neighborhood.
“We know that owning one restaurant is difficult, for economies of scale, so we are planning to open numerous locations,” Haywood said.
Using the new name Red Snapper Fish Co. Haywood is planning to open about a dozen Red Snapper locations over the next several years from Kenosha to the North Shore. He said about five of the restaurants will be in Milwaukee.
Haywood has partnered with Craig and Rita Willis, who operate Chic Underground Lounge, 770 N. Jefferson St., to run the day-to-day restaurant business.
The Lisbon Avenue Red Snapper location will reopen on Labor Day weekend with its new name and new management team. Haywood has been renovating the space and installed a drive thru.
Haywood is seeking a $657,900 loan from the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. to purchase the property on North Avenue and make improvements to the building for the second Red Snapper location.
The building is currently occupied by Big Load Laundry. Haywood has the building under contract from the owner, who wants to retire, he said.
Haywood has done several commercial development projects in Milwaukee including converting the Germania Building in downtown Milwaukee from offices to apartments.
In February, he purchased the former Sears store building at 2100 W. North Ave. He is planning to redevelop the 6.5-acre campus into a mixed-use development.
