In 1972, Chancery Restaurant & Pub opened in Racine marking the first time a restaurant in Wisconsin served complementary peanuts.
By the mid-1980s, Joe DeRosa had opened five Chancery restaurants in southeast Wisconsin becoming the first casual dining restaurant in Waukesha and the area’s most popular chains.
On Saturday, the Milwaukee Chancery, 4624 S. 27th St., will close its doors after 33 years.
The DeRosa Corporation said it will sell the building for ongoing and future development opportunities.
The company will offer an in-house career fair to the 35 part-time and five full-time employees to join one of the company’s other eight restaurants.
In addition, after 43 years the Harbourwalk Chancery in Racine, 207 Gas Light Dr. will be sold to Graves Hospitality Corp. of Minneapolis on Sept. 8. Graves Hospitality also owns the Harbourwalk Hotel Racine. The DeRosa Corporation announced to employees in March it would sell the building.
The Racine Chancery was originally located on Highway 20 but reopened as the Harbourwalk Chancery along Racine’s waterfront in 1994. The former Highway 20 location is now a Jose’s Blue Sombrero, also owned by the DeRosa Corporation.
Four remaining Chancery locations will stay open: 7615 W State St., Wauwatosa; 11046 Port Washington Rd., Mequon; 11900 108th St., Pleasant Prairie; 2100 E Moreland Blvd., Waukesha.
“We are thankful to our many loyal customers who have visited our restaurants over the years,” DeRosa said in a written statement. “We are looking forward to continuing to develop our current restaurant concepts and menus as well as explore future development opportunities.”
