EsterEv restaurant in Bay View temporarily closed due to 'considerable' water damage
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee restaurant has closed its doors for the next several months after some significant water damage.
EsterEv, a Bay View fusion restaurant owned by the founders of the Third Ward restaurant DanDan, posted on social media Monday, saying that the building was hit by "an absolute catastrophe" when a faulty valve leaked water into the dining room on May 3.
Daniel Jacobs, chef and owner of DanDan and EsterEv restaurants, says around 200 gallons of water poured through the ceiling, ruining floorboards, sections of wall, and the bar. It also saturated the basement, which houses their prep space.
"I walked in the door, and there was literally water coming down from seven or eight different places in the ceiling," Jacobs says.
"What's tough is you spend like a year building the place into what it is, putting it in place. Making it feel like a home, and now we're going to have to start all over again. The loss of momentum and inertia can’t really be quantified," shares Jacobs.
Now, the clock is on to repair and rebuild. Jacobs says he and his co-chef and co-owner Dan Van Rite created EsterEv with the "feeling of comfort and familiarity and family." The restaurant was named after Jacobs' great-grandmother, Ester, and Van Rite’s grandmother, Evelyn, as a way to bring in a tasting menu much like Jacobs' table when he was growing up.
Employees at EsterEv will be able to work at their sister restaurant, DanDan. But insurance doesn't cover the tips lost, which is reportedly about 90-95% of employees' income. That's why Jacobs is asking for the community's support. “Without having the central places to celebrate these things, to be these meeting places, I think the city and these neighborhoods lose what they are.”
Restaurants like Birch as well as Lupi and Iris will host EsterEv's pop-ups as a way to help in the meantime. “It really is this great community of people who are willing to help when things go bad. I, in a heartbeat, would do the same for somebody else,” shares Jacobs.
Jacobs recognizes the water damage was out of his control and is looking toward the silver lining. He says they'll "kind of roll with the punches a little bit. Use this as an opportunity to grow, try new stuff, and really design that dining room how we've always wanted to."
"I really do believe we'll come back just as strong as we were before this."
While EsterEv originally said they expect to be closed at least through the month of June, that timeline is looking closer to mid-August or September, according to Jacobs.
Upcoming pop-up events include:
- May 28th at Birch in Milwaukee
- May 31st at Lupi and Iris in Milwaukee
- June 9th at LouLou by Lula Cafe in Chicago
- June 17th at L'Etoile in Madison, WI
Reservations can be made on DanDan's OpenTable.
