THIENSVILLE NEWS

With the pandemic persisting, the cheel in Thiensville is getting a $250,000 double-decker permanent pavilion

Eddie Morales
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
This rendering of The Brookwater Group's pavilion design shows the building's glass doors and upper level railings.

With a persisting pandemic and cold weather approaching, owners at the cheel restaurant will begin construction on a permanent pavilion that honors both Nepalese culture and Thiensville’s past.

“We’ll be able to seat as many guests that we have with social distancing and safety in mind, while making sure the space that we are building makes sense for the long term,” said co-owner Barkha Daily.

Construction for the double-decker pavilion is scheduled to start in late October and finish in November. The structure will be 46 feet by 32 feet, and include indoor and outdoor seating for up to 50 customers. 

The project received approval from the plan commission and historic preservation commission Sept. 22. The cheel, 105 S. Main St., occupies an 1890 Victorian-style building in downtown Thiensville, which Daily said they wanted to pay homage to.

“It used to be a hitching post where they came and put their horses,” she said. “We have included some of those designs because we didn’t want to be too drastic. The building, itself, is a historic building.”

The pavilion’s design — by The Brookwater Group — will feature decorative beams with Nepalese, Tibetan and Burmese stylings. Railings will mimic the hitching posts that once occupied the area. Rooftop seating, called The Summit as a nod to Mt. Everest, will serve as expanded seating for the beer garden.

All sides of the structure will be made of glass. A vent system will provide a complete exchange of air every 30 minutes. A radiant heater will operate between 140 to 160 degrees. 

Construction costs are about $250,000 — a figure that Daily said is not cheap.

Separate from the cheel itself, the pavilion will offer overflow seating and safety precautions for guests who prefer eating outside.

“We’re not just doing it to get through (the pandemic); we’re making sure we’re doing it properly,” she said.

“When we had that cold snap for a week, that was a reinforcement for us that this might be tough in winter,” Daily said. “People didn’t want to sit outside on the patio because it was cold, but they weren’t ready to sit inside, so our reservation was down about 75% for that week. It was really scary because it was a telltale sign of when it gets really cold.”

For safety measures, the cheel offers guests bottled water to limit staff contact, and uses an FDA-approved UV air purifier that circulates air in 10-minute intervals.

“I would say almost every day we get at least one table that it’s their first time dining out,” she said. “There are still many guests that have not dined out since March.”

In addition to the pavilion, plans are being discussed for a private dining experience on the cheel’s upper level, Widow's Walk.

“We want that to be an exclusive area if somebody wants a private group gathering or anniversary and they want a chef cooking for them,” she said.

Daily said the logistics of a private dining experience include deciding how to power cooking appliances so food can be prepared separately from the downstairs kitchen. The menu would offer options similar to the tasting menus offered in the past, which range from $75 to $300 per person.

“We have a huge group of vulnerable and elderly guests, and for our team members too, we have to make sure we create a safe space,” Daily said.

Eddie Morales can be reached at 414-223-5366 or eddie.morales@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @emoralesnews.