Pat's Rib Place, which never fully recovered from the pandemic, will permanently close in Waukesha
WAUKESHA - Pat's Rib Place, one of the city's most popular restaurants for well more than a decade and whose owners are related to mega-celebrity Oprah Winfrey, will close permanently in June.
Alisha and Ty Hayes, the restaurant's owners, confirmed in a Facebook post over the weekend that the 14-year-old business they started on Sunset Drive will shut down, ending recent struggles that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, which first limited its operations in 2020 and later contributed to staffing problems.
The business had recently decided to limit itself to catering orders only after reopening in 2022 to diners. In a follow-up Facebook post, the business indicated it would continue to take catering orders until June.
Problems persisted, owners said in Facebook posts
In response to questions under the Facebook post announcement, the Hayeses repeated the problems that previously forced the business to close its doors to walk-in guests: staffing problems and the loss of diners. Essentially, "it just looks like our time is up," they said.
The couple, who live in Waukesha, also noted the investment they had made in the business in prior to the pandemic, enlarging the dining room to serve more guests. They said they regret that their investment didn't pan out in the end.
The Hayeses did not immediately reply to phone and text messages seeking further comments about their decision. The long-term status of the restaurant's newer Milwaukee location was not addressed in their Facebook posts, but is remaining open at present.
Traditional tastes and Oprah connection helped until recently
Pat's Rib Place draws on Southern-style recipes and traditions from Alisa's mother, who died in 2003 and for whom the restaurant was named. That food and special sauces proved popular early on in Waukesha as the small, 1,700-square-foot restaurant at 151 E. Sunset Drive filled quickly for lunch and dinner crowds.
But the restaurant may have also benefitted from a kind of celebrity status. Alisha Hayes is the niece of Oprah Winfrey, who more than once drew attention to the business and its culinary attributes. Most recently, in 2020, Winfrey included two of the eatery's sauces on her annual holiday gift list, Oprah's Favorite Things.
Unfortunately, all that wasn't enough to offset the recent challenges. After opening a food stand in Milwaukee Public Market in the fall of 2021, the business spent months trying to restaff the now-larger Waukesha location. It closed for dining in October 2021, indicated plans to reopen in February 2022 that proved overly optimistic, and finally opened in summer.
Even then, rising costs hampered the business. That included the need to offer higher compensation to workers — now $14 to $17 hourly for line cooks and $10 to $12 hourly for wait staff, according to their Facebook page — similar to other restaurants struggling in the same market.
"I don't think we're experiencing anything that no one else is really experiencing," Alisha Hayes said at the time. "I mean, hiring a staff is definitely a challenge."
Staffing issues forced it to close for dining again recently, and this time Alisha and Ty concluded the Waukesha location was no longer viable, noting that they took "no pleasure" in the decision.
More: Milwaukee-area restaurants that closed in 2023
Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pat's Rib Place in Waukesha to permanently close; Milwaukee store open
