Oakfire LLC will break ground later this month on its second restaurant and pizzeria, with plans to satisfy a hunger for full-service dining in Kenosha County.
Oakfire Pizzeria is slated to open in June 2020 at the Somers Market Center development, located along Green Bay Road and 38th Street in the Town of Somers.
The 10,000-square-foot restaurant will be built on a 2.75-acre lot surrounded by apartments, big box retailers Walmart and Sam’s Club and fast food restaurants such as Subway, McDonald’s and Burger King.
That location is a contrast to that of its original restaurant, which opened seven years ago at 831 Wrigley Drive in Lake Geneva, said owner David Scotney. Lake Geneva’s tourist-heavy population ebbs and flows throughout the year, forcing the restaurant to scale up or down to meet seasonal demand.
The Kenosha area’s larger, working population promises steady foot traffic year round, said Scotney.
“My plan going back to when we started was always to develop the brand and refine it at a flagship location, and when we felt ready we always wanted to expand into more of an urban market,” he said.
Oakfire’s current 2-story, 8,000-square-foot location was built in 2015, replacing a renovated residential property it had taken over four years earlier.
The new location will include indoor and outdoor seating for an al fresco atmosphere, multiple private event spaces and a 100-person bar area with 20 beers on tap, as well as a 135-space parking lot.
Its 75 to 100-person outdoor patio will overlook a small retention pond behind the building, creating an oasis-like feel, Scotney said.
The restaurant’s open-concept kitchen will have two Stefano Ferrara woodfired pizza ovens to bake 20 to 30 varieties of Neapolitan-style pizzas. The menu, which is identical to that of the Lake Geneva restaurant, also includes handcrafted pastas and a variety of Italian appetizers. In addition to 20 tap beers, the bar will serve Italian craft cocktails.
“It seems that whole area is dying for more full-service dining,” said Scotney. “We’re excited to bring something new to the area.”
