Milwaukee-based restaurant franchisee Roaring Fork Restaurant Group is moving forward with plans to construct a new restaurant building in Greenfield.
The building is proposed for a 1-acre site northwest of South 27th Street and West College Avenue. It will be occupied by either a Qdoba or a Dave’s Hot Chicken, according to city records.
The building will total 2,800 square feet and include a drive-thru window. The site is located east of a shopping center. It was formerly the site of a Taco City and Equitable Bank before the Wisconsin Department of Transportation acquired it for a 27th Street improvement project.
Ron Stokes, president of Roaring Fork, hinted at his group’s plans for the site in a recent interview. Those plans are moving forward with a scheduled review by the Greenfield Plan Commission on Tuesday.
Commission members will consider project site, landscaping and architectural plans. The project will need additional approvals, including a special use permit, once Roaring Fork determines which restaurant will be there.
A city staff report identifies a Roaring Fork affiliate as the project developer. The applicant is Pewaukee-based contractor The Redmond Co. City staff recommend approval of the project plans, along with certain conditions.
State records show an affiliate of the restaurant group in October purchased the property, located at 6269 S. 27th St., for $695,000.
Roaring Fork is the largest Qdoba franchisee in the country with 58 Qdoba locations across Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa, and recently signed a deal with Los Angeles-based Dave’s to open 14 locations throughout Wisconsin.
The first Dave’s location in the Milwaukee area will be in Menomonee Falls.
“We’re excited about the first one, and assuming that Milwaukee takes to it like other communities have, we’re excited about growing that brand throughout the state,” Stokes said in late November.
Dave’s specializes in Nashville-style hot chicken, including tenders and sliders. It started as a parking lot pop-up in 2017. It has 36 locations open or in development in the U.S. and Canada, and will open another 30-40 locations this year.
