More than 20 bars and restaurants will come together for the Greater East Side Restaurant & Bar Job Fair Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22, as Covid restrictions are relaxed and businesses begin to adjust to a busier routine.

As restrictions are slowly lifted in Milwaukee, east side bars and restaurants are struggling to find enough workers. That is why east side improvement districts are holding a job fair Friday and Saturday at Casablanca on East Brady Street.

Dogtopia, a national franchise of dog daycares, will be adding a location on Milwaukee’s East Side. The new dog daycare will go in the 6,400-square-foot commercial building located at 2219 N. Farwell Ave., near the southwest corner of Farwell and North avenues, according to permit applications filed with the city.

It's always been known as a hot spot for bars -- but is Milwaukee's east side still the place to be for a night out? Molly Snyder from OnMilwaukee.com joins FOX6 WakeUp with the details.

Mina, the European small-plates vendor at east side food hall Crossroads Collective, is switching its menu to all things potato. Or almost all things. Starting Thursday, Mina will be a frites bar, the food hall announced Wednesday.

The intersection of North Avenue and Farwell Avenue – and the streets surrounding – is considered the heart of Milwaukee’s East Side. It’s also known for its variety of bars, restaurants and venues. Here’s a guide to the “North Avenue bars,” which for us includes bars, pubs and taverns within a block or two.

Mark Zierath, co-owner of Von Trier, says if it weren't for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans the beloved, German-themed tavern and eatery in the heart of Milwaukee's East Side would be shuttered today.

Brian is with one of the vendors whose mission is to be a noble ambassador of Peru through the food they cook.

Time will come when COVID-19 is behind us in Milwaukee. Whether that’s sooner or later, the psychological scars of more than a year of restricted social behaviors will remain. Milwaukeeans will return to restaurants, sporting events and concerts.

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 is spearheading a “MKE It Local” campaign to call attention to restaurants, bars and shops in the central business district and more than 10 surrounding neighborhoods.

Milwaukee chef Adam Pawlak has been in the news a lot lately. The owner of Egg & Flour Pasta Bar and “Hell’s Kitchen” reality TV show contestant is adding pizzaiolo to his titles. Pawlak is weeks away from opening E&F Pizzeria at Crossroads Collective food hall at 2238 N. Farwell Ave.

An empanada business by Amy Narr and Mario Diaz Herrera is the newest vendor at east side food hall Crossroads Collective. The Peruvian fare purveyor opened a vendor stand called Triciclo Peru Express.

The popular Egg & Flour Pasta Bar is opening a pizzeria next door to its location inside Crossroads Collective food hall on the east side and calling it E&F Pizzeria. E&F Pizzeria likely will start selling pizza by the slice and by the whole pie within the next few weeks.

As shoppers look to get all the holiday deals -- local businesses encouraged people to shop local this Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28. Smaller businesses need community support now more than ever as local spots close down or adapt due to COVID-19.

It's unclear how many people will go shopping during Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and the rest of the post-Thanksgiving weekend — what with COVID-19 still surging in Wisconsin. But merchants are doing what they can to attract shoppers into stores or online.

Last Friday, beloved East Side mainstay Hooligan's suffered a fire, the second notable restaurant fire this month after the cheel in Thiensville lost its restaurant due to a blaze on Nov. 8. Thankfully no one was hurt in the East Side incident, but the building's interior and exterior took significant damage according to reports.

This ultra fun 1980s themed snack bar serves up a scrumptious menu of elevated (and sometimes shareable) bites. Originally in Walker's Point, the restaurant moved into bigger, bolder East Side digs earlier this year; unfortunately, COVID-19 has prevented all of us from enjoying the new double-decker art-filled restaurant to its fullest extent.

Ma Fischer's opened at its current location, 2214 N. Farwell Ave., as Fischer Sandwiches in 1932. Ma Fischer's is also known as a place to go at bar-time. And after almost 90 years of business, for the first time ever, Ma's has a patio.

The East Side Business Improvement District (BID) is tackling this issue with its new initiative to create a space for restaurant patrons to go if outdoor seating is at capacity or simply if someone wants a quiet, outdoor space to relax. This space is called the East Side Art Lot and will be located at 1915 E. North Ave.

These Milwaukee restaurants are seeing success with on-street dining program. Restaurants on Brady Street and East North Avenue are the most active in setting up new outdoor tables for customers this month, and those participating in the new city of Milwaukee program gave it high marks.

The pandemic put a stop to a lot of things, but it also provided the start to Mina, the newest Crossroads Collective vendor, which is making its debut Wednesday. It's owned and operated by the husband-and-wife team of Ryan Hoffman and Patrice Gentile.

Many restaurants and bars in Milwaukee have begun welcoming customers inside their buildings since Friday. Businesses have been preparing and making changes in advance to ensure their customer's health and safety at their return.

A parking structure that provides free spaces near a popular night life area on Milwaukee's east side is expanding its hours. The Prospect Medical Commons parking structure, 2311 N. Prospect Ave., has long made 65 spaces available from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. on weekdays, and from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Thum, a concept specializing in Lao cuisine, opened Wednesday for carryout and delivery service at Crossroads Collective as the East Side food hall’s newest vendor.Owner and chef Darlene Vanmanivong has signed a four-month lease, joining six other local operators who have opened flagship or secondary locations at the 7,000-square-foot space, which opened in 2018 at 2238 N. Farwell Ave. in Milwaukee.

Commercial streets on the east side and other Milwaukee neighborhoods could close temporarily to create more outdoor dining space under a plan that won preliminary city approval Wednesday.

In the automobile age, conventional wisdom tied commercial development to streets dominated by cars — which bring people to office buildings, hotels, restaurants and shops. In recent years, the "Complete Streets" movement has argued streets should be reworked to better accommodate people who walk, bike and use mass transit.

Hooligans restaurant and bar has been a mainstay on the corner of Farwell and North Avenue for the past 36 years.

Businesses everywhere are forced to operate differently – if at all – during the pandemic to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Business improvement districts (BIDs) across the state and country are doing their best to help keep small businesses in their community alive. The East Side and Downer Avenue BIDs have created web pages on how to support your favorite local businesses.

Local restaurants operate on tight margins on an everyday basis, let alone during an ever-evolving global pandemic like coronavirus (COVID-19). It's part of the reason why an increasing number of restaurants – even those who've never offered carry-out and delivery before – have begun offering take-out, delivery and curbside meal options.

We convened eight accomplished Milwaukee chefs for a no-holds-barred convo about the pleasures and difficulties of the industry they love. And, because we couldn’t resist the opportunity to get some insider recommendations, each shared where they go and what they order when they want a casual bite to eat.

Looking for some quick, delicious, and easy-to-digest Milwaukee restaurant news? Well, look no further. Wednesday morning at a city Licenses Committee meeting, three notable restaurants were given the green light.

Here are the 2020 restaurants we know of so far (bear in mind that projected opening dates can be delayed).

The city will need to live without their Snack Boys fix for a few days. However, the plan thereafter is to tote Burt Reynolds and pink neon signs across town and host a grand opening in the new East Side digs at 2028 E. North Ave. on Thursday, March 19.

Pomona Cider Co. is to open by early summer at 2159-2163 N. Farwell Ave. It will operate as a tavern, with a limited number of wine and local craft beer options. Pomona Cider also will have a wood-fired oven for baking flatbreads and other appetizers.

The bar, Cupid Studio, will be packed with themed drinks, snacks, games and photo ops. The menu includes things like: a "Box of Chocolates" flight featuring a Chocolate Orange Bourbon Old Fashioned, Chocolate Martini and Cinnamon Hot Chocolate.

Mad Chicken, a locally owned fast casual restaurant specializing in chicken tenders, wings and sandwiches, officially opened its doors to the public at 2045 E. North Ave. on Friday, Jan. 10. It's the first stand-alone brick and mortar restaurant for Mad Chicken, which was founded in 2017 as a food court concept in the Fox River Mall in Appleton, expanding to include locations at Mayfair Mall in Milwaukee as well as in Santa Ana, California.

There's something about the moment when the still silence turns to a gentle bustle at Crossroads Collective. It's the time just before the lunch or dinner rush. The air changes, awakened by energy and the chatter of friends, gathering in groups at the community tables and placing orders at vendor counters. It's lively and bright and a reminder that the East Side is alive, well, and moving swiftly into the future. It's one of the reasons I love to visit. It's one of those places where I enjoy eating as much by myself as in the company of others. I've also grown to love each of the vendors for different reasons; it seems Crossroads has someth

The fate of many restaurants ends after the first year – in fact, 60 percent of all restaurants close before their anniversary date. Crossroads Collective, Milwaukee's only food hall on the East Side, beat the odds and now looks forward to its second year with original vendors, new vendors and a fresh approach to crushing customer cravings.

A defining moment in Hacienda Beer Co. owner John McMahon’s business venture was at the Far and Away beer festival in Chicago in 2018. The day after the festival was over, a famous beer podcast reported that its favorite beer at the festival was a new brewery from southern California named Hacienda.

An Elf-themed pop-up bar will be open in Milwaukee during the 2019 holiday season. Buddy the elf is taking over Splash Studio near Oakland Avenue and North Avenue Nov. 29 through Dec. 29, when Splash Studio will become Elf Studio.