Save the date: Tacoma’s Old Milwaukee Cafe will open next week

The owners of Old Milwaukee Cafe confirmed Sunday that the diner would open for business on Tuesday, March 10.

Chad Kerth told The News Tribune the cafe would operate under limited hours to start, as he works to regain strength after an injury on the job led to complications requiring weeks of physical therapy and rest.

Kerth said many customers promised to “camp outside” the restaurant at 3102 6th Ave., where paper hearts wishing Kerth a full recovery adorned the windows since June 2019.

Those hearts have come down.

The reopening coincides with what Kerth’s wife Pat hypothesized in late January: They hoped to reopen Old Milwaukee by March. As of Sunday, March 1, a few tables were prepped with salt and pepper shakers as Chad Kerth emerged from the restaurant.

He spent more than 40 days in the hospital last year, plus an additional 40-some days in intense physical therapy, he said. Now he feels ready to cook again.

Pat Kerth will continue to run the front-of-house.

Asked what she would want loyal fans to know ahead of the first day back in business, she replied in an email, “I am not sure what I would say. We have THE MOST AMAZING CUSTOMERS who are full of love and patience ... completely evident through these past eight months.”

At first, the couple will limit hours to 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.

Old Milwaukee Cafe

▪ Address: 3102 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-761-2602

▪ Details: reopening scheduled for Tuesday, March 10

▪ Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.

This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.