Saz’s Hospitality Group plans to move its corporate headquarters offices, its catering operations, and its warehouse functions from the west side of Milwaukee to the city’s Walker’s Point neighborhood.
However, the iconic Saz’s restaurant will remain at 5539 W. State St.
In addition to the restaurant, the company owns a 9,000-square-foot building next door for its catering operations and leases a 4,000-square-foot building across the street for its corporate offices. The company needs more room and will move its catering operations, storage functions and corporate offices to a 30,000-square-foot building in Walker’s Point.
Saz’s plans to purchase the former Federal Manufacturing Co. building at 201 W. Walker St. in Walker’s Point. Federal Manufacturing Co. moved earlier this year to a new 78,000-square-foot facility in Pewaukee.
The growth of the company’s catering business necessitated the move to a larger space, said Saz’s chief financial officer Curt Kluth.
“We’re doing more and more events,” he said. “We’ve been looking at buildings for a few years. This is the best we’ve found. We’re really excited about it.”
The company will have about 50 full-time employees at the Walker’s Point facility, Kluth said, and plans to move in around April 1.
Saz’s is seeking a $1,084,000 loan from the Milwaukee Economic Development to help it purchase and renovate the Walker’s Point building. Bank Mutual is providing the primary financing for the $2.75 million purchase and renovation cost.
The building will provide space for inventory storage, festival and catering equipment storage and will allow for better sales exposure with potential retail offerings and better tasting rooms to help sell catering services for events, according to the company’s MEDC submission.
The facility will have a kitchen where all of the company’s catered food is prepared, including the food that it serves at Summerfest and the Wisconsin State Fair, Kluth said.
“When it became apparent that we had outgrown our current facilities we began an extensive search for the right size space and location,” Steve Sazama, founder and owner of Saz’s, said in a news release. “We wanted to stay in the City of Milwaukee because for us, that’s home.”
The development team for the Saz’s project in Walker’s Point includes Dan Katt of Craft Development, HGA Architects, Berghammer Construction and The Sigma Group.
Saz’s will be the latest of several food and beverage related businesses that have located in Walker’s Point in recent years, including Clock Shadow Creamery, Purple Door Ice Cream, Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., Milwaukee Brewing Co. and Central Standard Craft Distillery.
In recent years, Walker’s Point has also become a hot spot for new restaurants in Milwaukee.
