Patty Shack, a Utah-based burger chain, opened its first Wisconsin location in Bay View at 2121 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. During the past five years, the space has accommodated a variety of dining concepts including Subway, Fuji Poke, Taco Stop MKE and Sisu Cafe.
Hand-formed burger patties and skin-on fries are at the heart of Patty Shack’s fast-and-casual menu. Customers choose from two dozen topping choices, some of which are free and some that require a small upcharge. BLTs, Patty melts, onion rings, desserts and soft drinks are also available.
The interior is clean and simple with pictures of burgers on the walls and seven or eight tables. During our lunchtime visit, some customers took their orders to go. Patty Shack also has its own parking lot.
We ordered double cheeseburgers with pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon and fried onions that came with a cup of fries. Everything about the sandwiches is hearty: generous slabs of meat, thick slices of pickles and tomatoes, and a healthy portion of fried onions. Luckily, the bun was equally as hearty and able to accommodate the ample ingredients.
We found the burgers to be on par with Shake Shack in quality and cost. (Thrifty Milwaukeeans unite!) The fries were crispy and well salted. The restaurant manager insisted we try the homemade ranch as a dipping sauce and brought us one to our table, free of charge.
The Milwaukee burger scene is competitive and there are a lot of really good ones. Patty Shack has a solid product, and we enjoyed our burgers and would happily eat them again, but nothing that wowed us to go out of our way to grab one.
Franchise owners Desmond and Kaylynn Jimerson worked for Crumbl Cookies, another Utah-based chain, here in Milwaukee, but wanted to branch out on their own. They reached out to their former colleague and one-time neighbor, Justin Newbold, and asked him if he had interest in expanding his Utah burger chain to Brew City – and he did.
“We hope this is the first of many Patty Shacks in Milwaukee,” says Jimerson.
Although the space hasn’t found a longterm match, Patty Shack seems to be off to a strong start.
Patty Shack is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is closed on Sundays.
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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.
