Coury Hospitality has closed Oggie's restaurant in the lobby of the Hotel Metro, 411 E. Mason St., just two weeks after it opened.
The restaurant opened on Aug. 4 in the space formerly occupied by Pastiche Bistro and Wine Bar.
The Missouri-based company, which manages the property, issued this statement Monday:
"Oggie’s has temporarily closed and will re-open at a later date. Unfortunately, the pandemic had a greater impact than anticipated with the closure having no reflection of our dedicated team. Once we have plans for re-opening Oggie’s, we will be excited to share and welcome the local community and travelers alike. Hotel Metro, where Oggie's is located, remains open after recently completing a full renovation."
Earlier on Monday, Chef Thomas Hauck, who was an employee, posted this note to Facebook:
"It’s a bit of an understatement to say that there are challenges when open a restaurant in a global pandemic. But firing everyone and closing Oggie's Restaurant 2 weeks after opening wasn’t on my 2020 bingo card. I’m beyond gutted and angry for our hardworking staff and purveyors."
Lori Fredrich wrote about the opening on Aug. 5, saying, "Oggie's, Downtown's newest restaurant, made its official debut on Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Hotel Metro, 411 E. Mason St. with a menu of European-inspired New American cuisine rooted firmly in Midwestern charm.
"The new restaurant concept is led by Chef Thomas Hauck, former owner of c.1880 and (more recently) culinary director for the Lowlands Restaurant Group, along with a team of industry veterans that includes veteran bartender and beverage manager Jeff Cleveland and dining room manager Gina Pastori."
"(I'm) crushed for the staff and disappointed beyond words that we only did 10 shifts," Hauck told OnMilwaukee, adding that business was "slow, (but) bit early to judge after two weeks."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
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