Ryan Braun opens Lake Geneva restaurant

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun has opened a restaurant in Lake Geneva, just three months after launching a restaurant in downtown Milwaukee.

Ryan Braun’s Tavern & Grill, 430 N. Broad St., Lake Geneva, celebrated a soft opening for family and friends Sunday, June 13, followed by an event for local officials and business owners the next day. The restaurant is scheduled to open to the public the week of June 21.

The restaurant, formerly the Cactus Club, is owned by local businessman Tom Romano. It was extensively remodeled and will feature “upscale-casual” dining with Italian-American food, said Kris Kerwer, the restaurant’s business manager.

The restaurant originally was expected to open in early 2010 after a group of investors approached Romano about using the Cactus Club building for a Braun restaurant, Kerwer said. That deal fell through when the group decided to open Ryan Braun’s Waterfront at 102 N. Water St., Milwaukee.

Romano then decided to open the restaurant himself, with Braun continuing to lend his name to the venture, Kerwer said.

Braun and his agent, Nez Balelo, were heavily involved in the planning of the restaurant, offering input for the website design, decor and menu, Ker-wer said. It was important to Braun that the restaurant enhance the historic building with classy touches such as white oak floors, a stone fireplace and a wood-burning pizza oven.

Braun enjoys the Lake Geneva area and often goes there to fish, she said. He wants the website, which hasn’t launched yet, to include historical information about Lake Geneva and personal information about himself to help people understand why he’s involved with the restaurant.

“He’s not just flying into Milwaukee and playing baseball,” she said. “We appreciate that with the money he’s earned here, he’s choosing to lend his name and invest and help Wisconsin businesses.”

Braun has become known as an entrepreneur in addition to an All-Star left fielder. He invests in a T-shirt line, Remetee, and endorses AirTran Airways and Muscle Milk, a protein drink. His other restaurant, Ryan Braun’s Waterfront, opened April 5 in Milwaukee’s 3rd Ward and has been a success, Balelo said in an e-mail to The Business Journal.

“Ryan Braun’s Waterfront in Milwaukee has met all of our expectations and more,” Balelo wrote. “We created an environment that is very inviting with a comfortable decor. When you combine all of that with great food and service, you’re creating a formula for success.”

Ryan Braun’s Tavern & Grill employs 90 and has seating for 270. Most entrees cost between $12 and $18, Kerwer said.

Braun demonstrated business acumen and curiosity about the restaurant industry during the planning process, Kerwer said.

“He does have many dimensions,” she said. “He really wants to learn about the industry and understand it.”

In a previous interview with The Business Journal, Braun said he planned to be active in helping to run both restaurants.

“Whenever I get involved in a project, I want to be a big part of it,” he said. “It is my name and reputation and I feel that I can add something to make the restaurant successful.”



(milwaukee.bizjournals.com)