An Ox Café opens on Milwaukee's northwest side, hopes to inspire other business owners

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - A new café on Milwaukee's northwest side is hoping to inspire more people to open up businesses of their own in the city.

An Ox Café held its grand opening Wednesday morning, Feb. 2. It was a big moment for the owners after years of trying to open up during the pandemic.

"We want to show that you can have a beautiful business anywhere in Milwaukee," owner Sia Xiong said.

The café is located on Hampton Avenue. The space is equipped with dozens of TVs, and serves traditional Asian cuisine. Xiong said the restaurant is a sign of hope. Xiong and her family came to the US in 1979.

"This is an American dream for all of us," she said.

They have worked to open up An Ox Café for the past four years. The Hmong Chamber of Commerce and the Milwaukee Department of City Development supported the project since the beginning.

"This area is really important to us. We've been here for over 20 years and we want to give back and improve on the neighborhood," Xiong said.

Xiong said the building was empty for more than five years. She felt this part of Milwaukee didn't really have a place for people to gather and she wanted to change that. Her family has lived in this part of town for more than 20 years.

"These city investments help not just An Ox Café, not just their employees, but our entire community," Lafayette Crump said.

Lafayette Crump is the commissioner for the department of city development. He said the department is looking to support more people like Xiong and her family to help develop underserved parts of town.

"We stand ready to connect Milwaukeeans with the resources and contacts they need to jump start a new business, expand an existing company, relocate businesses to and within the city of Milwaukee and more," he said.

For more information on An Ox Café, click here,