Turning Tables Tavern opening a new location and might move out of Turner Hall

Turning Tables Tavern might vacate its spot in Turner Hall, 1040 N. Phillips Ave., as it sets to open a new location downtown in May.

The restaurant, designed to be an incubator for food entrepreneurs and chefs, is planning to open at 250 E. Wisconsin Ave., in the former space of Freshii.

Owner Emerald Mills said she has not yet resigned the Turner Hall lease and is unsure if Turning Tables would have two locations, or just move operations to the new space.

She said while business is good for shows and events, it might not be the best fit to fulfill her mission to create a space for chefs to learn what it's like to run a kitchen.

“Our goal hasn’t been to be a restaurant," Mills said. "Our goal is help entrepreneurs and operators.”

She said overhead costs and the lack of a consistent customer base since the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their ability to focus on the kitchen.

Mills was hoping to hire an operations manager to take care of front-of-house operations so she could work toward her community-oriented initiative, but the cash flow wasn't there.

"There was some projections with the space when we got in, to project it was going to make a certain amount of money, but then we realized not enough people were coming in, unless it’s a concert or event," she said. "I never intended on being behind the bar or cooking food. We thought we'd get a team but, because of the projections versus what was happening in the neighborhood, it's how we had to sustain it."

But with the Republican National Convention coming to Milwaukee and Turner Hall being across from Fiserv Forum where the main event will be held, Mills said she was open to staying if the lease agreement made sense for them.

Turning Tables Tavern opened in 2022 with a goal to help aspiring chefs, specifically chefs of color, through a six-to 18-month program where they learned how to work in the Turning Tables kitchen. Students could graduate at their own pace, giving each participant the ability to learn while pursuing other endeavors or accelerate the program, if desired.

Mills still made progress with the program, in part through a grant used to help the food-based entrepreneurs in the program, with no money going toward the operations side of the business.

Mills also created a nonprofit organization at the end of last year called Community Minded, with a goal of creating incubator kitchens around the city to provide low- or no-cost kitchen space for food entrepreneurs. Because she envisions having multiple locations, it could make sense to stay at Turner Hall.

"The goal would be, in the next year or so, to have kitchen space for up-and-coming entrepreneurs to generate revenue," she said. "Entrepreneurs who have the shared kitchen can provide food to people in these different locations that we hope to have. If you have a food truck, it's good through the summer. Now, there's a building and space that have different food entrepreneurs for mealtime year-round."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Turning Tables Tavern opening new location, might leave Turner Hall