The new operators of St. Francis Brewery,
Dheren Stewart and
Shallece Saleen Peters, hope to combine their respective passions for food and music to revive a long-dormant community gathering place.
St. Francis Brewery opened in 2009 at 3825 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., northwest of Kinnickinnic and Howard avenues. It closed 10 years later and the 7,100-square-foot building was sold in 2021 to Franklin-based
Sunset Investors for $1.4 million, according to state records.
The husband-and-wife duo stumbled upon the shuttered St. Francis Brewery by chance while visiting a friend in the area. They live in Racine but previously spent several years in Milwaukee.
“We were talking about opening a restaurant and my wife drove past (the brewery) and we were just like, ‘Holy cow,’” said Dheren Stewart.
After decades in the restaurant industry, Stewart had finally decided to pursue opening his own operation. He’s spent the past decade as the owner and operator of a
Texas Roadhouse restaurant but has also managed a
Carraba’s Italian Grill and worked at
Weber Grill in Chicago. Stewart earned his culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago.
Given his experience, Stewart believes it makes sense to lean into the concept of being a grill. Adapting a menu that will work with the brewery’s small kitchen will be key to avoid long wait times, something the couple have heard was a big complaint under the brewery’s prior operators.
"We're going to make a pretty simple, basic menu, and then we're going to have features and dinners specialties," said Stewart.
Visitors can expect classic brewpub fare including burgers, wings, cheese curds and steaks, along with a few personal favorites of Dheren and Shallece, like bruschetta.
An event series will also be a regular attraction once St. Francis Brewery is reopened. This will allow Shallece, a vocal arts teacher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, to lean into her love of live performances.
"One of the things my wife and I have always been passionate about is getting our two worlds, music and food together, to blend together," said Stewart. "Shallece wants to host a 'mood' series."
A combination of the words food and music, the mood series will involve themed music and food pairings. For example, a St. Patrick’s Day event might include Irish food and music.
The brewery component of the restaurant was admittedly an unexpected bonus for the couple. The state of the craft brewery scene has been uncertain as of late, with several closures announced over the past few months. Stewart believes putting the restaurant concept first will be key to the success of their endeavor.
"I've yet to meet anybody who said they were trying to open a restaurant that happened to have a brewery come with it," he said. "For most people that I've talked to, the restaurant was kind of an afterthought. I just don't think there's a market for people to sit for a long time and drink a ton of beer."
Dheren and Shallece have no intention of distributing beer beyond the restaurant due to the “oversaturated market.” They have found their master brewer and expect to make a formal announcement in the coming days.
St. Francis Brewery could be reopened as soon as this March so long as the licensing process moves forward as expected. Stewart expects his team to hover at around 70 employees. Providing a reliable and affordable service for guests will be their top priority.
“The most important thing in a restaurant, or in any service-based business, is consistency,” he said. “I think that's where a lot of restaurants struggle.”
