Construction in downtown Wauwatosa has almost wrapped up, much to the delight of local businesses.
Four of the restaurants in the Tosa Village are teaming up for an event to welcome people back now that the roads have reopened, along with street parking.
"I think the idea is introducing the village back to the people," said Cat Yee Cramton, general manager of La Reve Patisserie and Cafe.
She says it definitely feels like people avoided the area during construction.
"It was a little brutal there for a moment but I think the village has done a wonderful job," she said. "Everything has been fantastic, the brick looks great, they're putting up the lighting now."
On January 26, La Reve, along with Cafe Bavaria, Cafe Hollander, and Ristorante Bartolotta are holding a "Tour de Tosa" dinner.
"You get two food choices and basically a drink choice," said Cramton. "So it's kind of just a little sample from each location."
"At Cafe Bavaria, we'll be serving mini schweinshaxe and apple strudel with a beer pairing," said Mark Jenquine, the regional manager for the Lowlands Group.
He says they also struggled during construction to draw people to their restaurants.
"With no parking in the area and being under construction, visually it wasn't as attractive to be on our patios," said Jenquine.
With phase one of construction finished, visitors will now notice a more European look with updated roads and back-in parking to make the area more pedestrian and bike friendly.
The City of Wauwatosa says there's still work to be done in the village including utility work and installing benches and bike racks. Most of it should be done by the end of January.
As for the dinner event, tickets are $80 a person and the event is limited to 150 people. Tickets can be purchased here.
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