Corner Bakery Café, a national fast-casual café franchise that originated in Chicago, has a new location that opened this past August in Shorewood at 1305 E. Capitol Drive. The building, which used to house Bakers Square, is situated near the Oak Leaf Trail and the Oak Leaf Trail Bridge. Brothers George, Dimitri and Peter Dimitropoulos, who own Corner Bakery Café locations in Wauwatosa and Pleasant Prairie, as well as the Culver’s on East Capitol Drive, did a modern remodeling of the building and are making the most of the unique location.
“We want to cater to cyclists and runners that use the Oak Leaf Trail, so there are many amenities integrated into the design of the building,” said Peter. “We have ample bike parking, we’ve created a connection from the Oak Leaf Trail to Corner Bakery and we have a bicycle repair station. There’s also a water bottle filling station and a pet watering area. Shorewood is a very dog-friendly community and a lot of people use the Oak Leaf with their pets, so we thought that would be a nice thing to integrate.”
The open space has large windows that overlook a 60-seat outdoor dining area and provide a front-seat view of The Ghost Train, a public art project that, through LED lights and sound, reenacts the historical Twin Cities 400 train that crossed that same location from 1935 through 1963. The display runs twice every evening at 7 and 7:15 p.m.
Corner Bakery Café’s breakfast menu includes buttermilk pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, scramblers and fare for the health-conscious such as oatmeal with berries or dried fruits, or a berry and yogurt parfait. Breakfast is served all day.
Lunch and dinner menus start at 11 a.m. and are served until 10 p.m. Customers can choose fresh salads such as Harvest Salad or Asian Wonton; homemade soups served with a focaccia roll; several signature sandwiches like Uptown Turkey Avocado or Tuna Salad; Panini sandwiches; and several pasta dishes like hearty Mac & Three Cheese or Cavatappi Marinara. The menu includes several vegetarian options like California Grille Panini. The “Choose Any Two” option lets customers mix and match any two of the menu favorites for $8.79. There’s also a kids’ menu.
All of the food is made fresh to order, and Peter said they have 40 fresh produce items delivered daily. There’s also a bakery with scratch-made cookies, pies, bars, brownies, rugalach and Bundt cake. If one is in a hurry, there’s a drive-through open during regular business hours. In addition, Corner Bakery Café has a separate catering division that operates seven days a week.
The Dimitropoulos brothers grew up in the restaurant business; their parents were restaurateurs for 40 years. Peter, George and Dimitri all graduated from UW-Milwaukee with different degrees, but Peter said they never pursued careers in their degrees. “We all landed back in the restaurant business,” he said. They’ve owned the Culver’s in Shorewood for 15 years. “We were looking for another brand to continue to grow locally, which is how we came upon Corner Bakery.”
Peter said they support local schools and churches through fundraising and sponsorships. “Shorewood is a fantastic community, and we really love operating here,” he enthused. “We have great team members who work really hard, and we’re proud of them. We’re big on fresh food, clean restaurants and great hospitality.”
For more information, visit cornerbakerycafe.com.
