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Feature Article from The Whitewater Press - Summer/ Fall 2010 www.thewhitewaterpress.com By Donna Wright ~ Whitewater Press Staff Writer
~ Fat Jacks ~
I had totally given up on the place. It’s terrible to say that about a local business, but my beau and I had very disappointing visits the three times we tried to patronize Fat Jacks downtown. Here’s how it went:
First visit: It was lunchtime, so time was limited. We were handed menus, then told we could only order about half of the things listed. The food was OK, but took a long time and we had to rush to eat.
Second visit: A Friday after work. The CO2 wasn’t working, which meant no soda. We sipped on what turned out to be the worst two martinis ever made, and left.
Third visit: Tried a lunch again, but the grill wasn’t working. We left proclaiming three strikes and you’re out, Jack!
I didn’t know it had been under the management of three different owners in the past several years. So when I saw lights back on at Fat Jacks, I was not excited about experimenting again with my hunger and money, thinking nothing had changed.
Luckily, I was given this writing assignment and found out an adorable young family has taken over ownership and everything has changed! The interior rehab, the only exciting thing about past visits is still very cool, but updated with new furniture...and the energy of the place is different!
Mark and Dawn Wokasch, of Whitewater, now own and operate Fat Jack’s, 146 West Main Street, in the heart of Downtown Whitewater, WI.
Wokasch, and others he has spoken with, had past experiences just like we had, while the restaurant & pub was under the other manager/owners.
“I want people to know that I’m not the previous three owners.” he said. “I’m not someone who doesn’t care about the city.”
Wokasch has been in Whitewater since 2003. He came as a student from nearby McFarland and stayed as a husband, father of 3 year old Emma and business owner. “I’ve wanted to own and run a restaurant/bar since I was 12 years old,” he said.
He knows the food and beverage business and is taking his new career very seriously, opening the doors on October 1, 2009. He is ‘cautiously hopeful.’ You may recognize his smile from behind the bar at Randy’s Fun Hunters Brewery and Restaurant, where he managed the bar for some time.
Fat Jack’s new menu has a lot of choices, including burgers, wraps and sandwiches, among lots of other choices and appetizers. You can also find ribs (yahoo) and grilled tuna steak.
I can personally vouch for the southwest burger and homemade chips, which were fantastic, and the martini was pretty good too.
If you’re a karaoke star—or think you are—then Fat Jacks is the place to go the first Thursday of every month and sing your heart out.
The city council recently approved his request for a sidewalk café. The large shade tree in front of the establishment will offer the perfect shade for a sidewalk lunch or a cold drink on a summer day. It is so nice to see a downtown storefront filled with determination and the new hopes of a young family. I highly recommend you stop in and meet Mark. You’re in for quite a surprise!
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