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Four years ago, sisters Ryan Scheffler and Chrystal Rausch took over Swiss Street Pub & Grille, 11430 W. Swiss St., in Franklin. The cottage-like building was built in 1900 and over the years was a trading post, meat market, horse shed, ice house, private residence and biker bar.
Today, Swiss Street Pub & Grille is a casual, family-friendly establishment with a focus on fish fries, scratch-made entrees and Old Fashioneds.
“We have seven tappers with different beers, but we also sell a lot of Coors Light,” says Scheffler.
The Old Fashioned menu is impressive, with five different cocktails to choose from including a Korbel Brandy classic; Royal Blackberry featuring Crown Royal Blackberry; Blueberry Old Fashioned; Local Old Proof Old Fashioned made with Great Lakes Distillery’s Dirty Helen Bourbon; and a Figgy Smalls Old Fashioned concocted with Bulleit Bourbon, fig liqueur, lemon juice, bitters and soda.
“An Old Fashioned is a nice drink at the end of the day,” says Scheffler. “And they go great with everything. Especially fish fries.”
The Fish Fry menu features just as many options. Battered, breaded, baked or Parmesan crusted cod; bluegill, perch or shrimp. Scheffler makes a signature Blue Moon beer batter and all of the fries come with coleslaw, rye bread and choice of potato (fries, tots, chips, baked or pancakes.)
During our visit we also sampled the Irish nachos, topped with in-house slow-roasted corned beef and scratch-made mac sauce and 10 of the wings available slathered in a variety of different coatings.
Scheffler spent 30 years working in the service industry as bartender, cook, manager and events planner before owning her own spot.
“I have the same crazy hours and crazy schedule I always had, but now I put my hard work into something that’s mine,” says Scheffler. “I’m a very hands-on owner. I'm here a lot. And I would never ask any of my employees to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”
Toni Ruyle has worked at the establishment for 11 years. “When Ryan took over the bar, I came with the furniture,” she says. Swiss Street displays tsotchkes from Las Vegas, a nod to Ruyle, who grew up in Sin City.
Ruyle is also adamant that Swiss Street Pub & Grille is haunted by the ghost of a young girl named Molly who died when the building caught fire.
“Ryan thinks we’re all nuts, but there’s a ghost in here,” says Ruyle. “I’ve seen glasses fly off the shelf, heard doors slam when I’m the only one in here. People have heard bicycle bells, giggling. It’s a thing.”
The aesthetic is no-nonsense tavern-y, with a long bar, various dining areas, beer signs, a pool table, dart boards, gambling machines and a back deck.
Swiss Street hosts dart teams, pool leagues and supports Franklin High School, the Lion’s Club, local VFW and more. They also have outdoor tents and bands during the St. Martins Fair, held every Labor Day weekend.
“We do whatever we can to help the community,” says Scheffler.
Swiss Street Pub & Grille is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Follow them on Facebook.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
