In the past few weeks, the sluggish economy has claimed several longtime local chains. Those include Heinemann’s Restaurants and the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops. Yet, one operation has weathered generations of economic ups and downs and is still going strong. WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson reports on the popularity of the George Webb restaurants.
Webb’s, as it’s been known for 60 years in Milwaukee, is a place you can go late at night or early in the morning for a cheap bite to eat. Walk into any of the restaurants, and the first sound you hear is the sizzle of the grill, frying food. It’s no different this Sunday morning at the Webb’s on South Howell Avenue. One cook is darting around the kitchen, frying eggs and flipping bacon.
Out in the restaurant, every table and every seat at the counter are full. Todd Taylor is sipping coffee with three friends. He’s been a regular at George Webb for years.
“Since I was a wee little lad. Probably since I was four or five years old. My parents used to bring me in,” Taylor says.
Taylor says he’s always gotten a kick out of the two clocks that hang next to each other in every Webb’s restaurant. The founder, George Webb, put them there as a way of skirting an ordinance that banned 24 hour establishments.
That was Karen Webb’s grandfather. She manages this branch near the airport. She says it was fun growing up a Webb, but it also involved hard work.
“I mopped floors, did dishes. I worked my way from the bottom up,” Webb says.
Webb began managing the restaurant in 1985, when she was 24 years old. She says there have been a few changes. For instance, Webb’s has expanded its menu from basic breakfasts and burgers to include Eggs Benedict, steak sandwiches and a fish fry.
And in more recent times, the company had to raise prices slightly to keep pace with suppliers’ costs. But, Webb says the increases have not driven anyone away.
“No, we’re seeing a lot of new faces, a lot of new customers, which is good, and our regulars are still coming in.”
They include Margaret Parez and her husband. They’re hovering near the door, waiting for seats to free up. Parez says the two have been loyal customers for 30 years.
“My husband introduced me to George Webb’s I think. It’s a good meal for a nice price,” Parez says.
Parez plans on ordering the Eye Opener Breakfast: two eggs, toast and a choice of ham, bacon or sausage, on sale this month for $3.59. It is those low prices that continue to be the key to the chain’s success, according to Operations Director Bobby Pantuso.
“People are always going to go out to eat and I think people are going to trade down to George Webb’s where they can get a quality meal to feed their family. I’ve got three children and a wife. If the five of us go out to a mid-range, casual dining restaurant, it’s going to be 50 bucks. You go into a George Webb’s that same quality meal, fill you up for five people, it’s going to be around $30,” Pantuso says.
The company says it’s been able to hold down prices by shopping for low-priced food, keeping staff to a minimum, and signing long-term rental leases at reasonable rates. Pantuso says it all added up to an increase in sales last year of nearly four percent, even though the country was hurting financially.
Despite that success, the chain does not plan to expand beyond Wisconsin. Karen Webb says it’s about maintaining relationships with customers and the community.
"Webb’s is still here, we’re always going to be here, I believe,” Webb says.
But there are plans to expand in Wisconsin. Webb’s plans to open a restaurant in Sussex in March. That will make 39 George Webb restaurants in eastern Wisconsin.
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