Wauwatosa, Wisc. (August 17, 2020) – Ally’s Bistro of Menomonee Falls is planning to open a second location in Wauwatosa in the 105-year-old, historic powerhouse building located at 10460 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa, in the Milwaukee County Research Park. The historic building is being restored by Mandel Group, Inc. as part of its Crescent Apartments development which is under construction. The new café will be known as “Ally’s Powerhouse Café.” The powerhouse building features stunning 27-foot ceilings, exposed brick, and expansive arched windows throughout that will make for a one-of-a-kind dining experience.
A full-service cafe, Ally’s Powerhouse Café will be open for breakfast, lunch, and happy hour with a light dinner menu. Ally’s current clientele includes extensive catering and boxed lunch service for nearby businesses as well as private business receptions. The café design accommodates 40-50 patrons on a new exterior terrace that will feature fire pits and decorative lighting, while indoor seating includes areas accommodating private parties of up to 50 guests. The outdoor terrace connects to the guest terrace at the adjoining Marriott Springhill Suites Hotel.
“We are incredibly excited to finally find the home we’ve been looking for in the Wauwatosa area,” said Rodney Zimmerman, who owns and operates Ally’s with his wife Michelle and three children. “Working from our Menomonee Falls cafe we’ve developed quite a business clientele in Tosa and look forward to serving them from our new Powerhouse Café. We are ecstatic that we have found such a unique home with Mandel Group in a restored historic building, to bring to Wauwatosa our love for food, coffee and all things delicious. The character of the building and the ability to have a large outdoor terrace are sure to be welcoming to patrons as a comfortable and relaxing place to visit and linger.”
Zimmerman added, “In 2011, our family opened Ally’s Bistro in Menomonee Falls and are blessed to have built a large, loyal following. We have made many friends who have been regular patrons for years. Ally’s Powerhouse Café will feature our favorites from our current menu at Ally’s Bistro along with some special new items developed just for Ally’s Powerhouse Cafe. We will be providing dine in, curbside, delivery, event/reception and catering services at the Powerhouse Café. We are honored to partner with the Mandel Group and can’t wait to be part of the Wauwatosa community!”
In addition to Ally’s Powerhouse Café, the building will house a fitness, training and physical therapy business that will be announced soon, and the residential management offices for the adjoining Crescent Apartments. The entire building is under renovation with a grand opening date targeted for Spring 2021 to coincide with the opening of Crescent Apartments.
Crescent Apartments began construction in March 2020 and will open for new residents in Spring 2021. “We’ve just begun outreach for future residents on social media and our website” explained Angie Tabrizi, Project Manager for Mandel Group. “In addition to the concentration of nearby employers, we’re reaching out to students, faculty and staff of the Medical College to remind them that they can identify and reserve housing for the 2021-22 academic year knowing that construction will be complete well before school resumes next year.” Mandel Group also developed the nearby 188-unit Echelon Apartments in Innovation Park.
Recent design updates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic focus on further enhancements to indoor environmental quality. “We’ve always had a great strategy for indoor air quality but have gone even further to provide the best possible environment for our residents” explained Tabrizi. Ventilation systems include HEPA filtration on individually controlled heating and air conditioning systems. Crescent will contain 102 apartment homes with a wide variety of studio, 1- and 2-bedroom floor plans to choose from.
About Mandel Group
Mandel Group, Inc. is a national, award-winning builder and developer headquartered in Milwaukee. Founded in 1991, the company has since developed or transacted over $1.5 billion of residential and commercial real estate. Among its recent developments are Echelon Apartments in Wauwatosa, The West Living in West Allis, and The North End in downtown Milwaukee. For more information, visit mandelgroup.com.
