Photo Courtesy Jeramey Jannene, Flickr CC
By now we’ve all taken notice of Walker’s Point’s renaissance. Everything from an e-commerce startup to a celebrity trainer-owned gym has claimed a slice of land in the once forgotten industrial district. But it’s the area’s booming foodie scene that has undoubtedly drawn the most attention to the neighborhood.
Walk the Point, a recently launched bar and restaurant tour, is giving people the opportunity to see these innovative and prominent eateries in a unique way.
They’re taking the “Walker’s” part very literally.
“We were just excited about all of these great restaurants and food purveyors in the area,” says Ben Taylor, cofounder of Walk the Point. “There are a lot of places sourcing locally, and a lot of family-owned businesses opening up. We wanted to get a little bit of the focus out of the Third Ward and East Side, and onto Walker’s Point.”
Taylor has lived and worked in the neighborhood for three years, and has seen the rapid growth of the area first hand. The idea for the walking tour came from a friend who drew comparisons to Asheville, North Carolina and a walking tour there called “Eating Asheville.” From there, Taylor brought the idea to his now business partner, Anders Rahm, who also has a depth of experience working in the Walker’s Point restaurant industry.
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The tour gives people an opportunity to experience an overview of Walker’s Point restaurant scene at an affordable price, with the added draw that there are currently no other walking tours of local restaurants in Milwaukee.
Seven restaurants, bars and food makers are currently participating, including All Purpose, Crazy Water, Meraki, Ashley’s Que, Drink Wisconsinbly, Clockshadow Creamery and Indulgence Chocolatiers. Taylor hopes to have more area businesses involved in the near future.
“There are six stops on the tour, but we want as many people on board as possible so that we can vary the tour on a daily basis,” says Taylor.
Tours run Tuesday through Friday from 4-6 p.m. During this two-hour stretch participants are guided through six different restaurants for about 15 minutes each. There is either food or drink served at every stop, with at least four stops serving a food and drink pairing.
Currently, there are only 12 tour spots available per day. The smaller group size helps the guides and restaurant owners, who frequently come out and interact with the groups, to engage with the tour takers and give them behind the scenes information.
“Everyone on the tour gets a personal touch, and the restaurant owners get to sell their business face to face to 10 or 12 people at a time,” Taylor says.
Taylor says he would be open to spinning this idea off into other parts of the city eventually, but is focusing on Walker’s Point for now.
“Walker’s Point hasn’t always been the nicest part of town,” he says. “But in the three years since I’ve been here I’ve seen how quickly it’s changed over, and it’s just going to continue to go that way. In another two or three years it will be just as popular as any other part of town.”
Tours cost $60, and can be purchased here.
