Waukesha Bar & Pub Changes Hours Due To Job Vacancies

WAUKESHA, WI—A bar and restaurant in Waukesha is changing its hours do to ongoing challenges due to the pandemic. Fuzzy's Sports Pub & Grill, 627 E. Main St. announced on social media it was adjusting kitchen hours.

Patch reached out to Fuzzy's on Saturday and again on Monday. This story will be updated when Patch hears from the restaurant.

The restaurant posted the following message to its Facebook page:

"We are so thankful for all of your support over the years. It has been quite the year navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. It continues to bring challenges with finding the right people.

"Greg our long time cook and co-worker has graduated from college and will be moving on to his new field. We wish him the best, and know that he will do fantastic no matter where he goes.

"We have been blessed with great staff, and in order to keep our wonderful staff and not to burn out the fuzzys people, we again need to make adjustments due to the changes COVID-19 has brought on the restaurant industry.

"We will continue to adjust and adapt and appreciate your support through those adjustments. We will take the challenge of staffing and make it an opportunity to go back to our roots and refocus on our strength, where we began as a breakfast and lunch establishment. However please note that we will continue to be open Friday nights for our full menu and our fish fry!

"Thank you all for you continued patronage and support through these many years!"

Adjusted kitchen hours:
Tuesday-Thursday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Bar open until volume every night.

Previously, the restaurant was open Monday- Thursday 8 a.m. to Sunday, Friday 7 a.m.- 10 p.m. All day fish fry and Saturday and Sundays 7 a.m.- 3 p.m. Bar open to volume.

Fuzzy’s Southside at 1726 sS West Ave is open Monday through Saturday until 10 p.m. with the same menu.

Vacancies are hard to fill

Fuzzy's isn't the only restaurant facing another pandemic hurdle — job vacancies that are proving hard to fill.

Chris Potratz, general manager of The Neighbors Bar and Grille, located on Arcadian Avenue, said it is a reality hitting the restaurant industry.

Potratz told Patch his staff is especially short in the kitchen.

The Neighbors Bar and Grille announced it is limiting its kitchen hours until the end of June citing the shortages. The kitchen will be open Monday to Saturday until 9 p.m. and Sundays until 8 p.m. There will still be pizzas available after the main kitchen closes.

The kitchen was previously open until 9:30 p.m. Sunday, 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation provides an additional $300 a week and will expire on Labor Day.

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Melissa Hughes said in a TMJ4 report that a lack of child care, health issues, or not having access to reliable internet are all playing a role in the shortage.

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, along with other chambers of commerce statewide, have asked Evers to stop the $300 a week supplement, the WISN-12 report said.