Brick Pizzeria & Ristorante has quietly tossed its last pie at Ballpark Commons in Franklin, closing the popular location this week and clearing the way for a new entertainment concept to move in. The exit pulls one of the mixed-use campus’s brick-oven options off the board as operators shuffle the line-up around the development.
What the restaurant announced
Last Friday, the restaurant told followers on social media that “today we say thank you and goodbye to Brick Pizzeria & Ristorante as it officially closes its doors,” and teased that “an exciting new entertainment experience is on its way to Ballpark Commons,” according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The post did not offer a timeline or name the operator behind the incoming concept.
How long it lasted and what it served
The Franklin outpost opened June 20, 2023, as Brick’s second location, bringing Neapolitan-style pizzas and an all-day menu to the Ballpark Commons campus, according to OnMilwaukee. Before the shutdown, the restaurant’s website highlighted the Ballpark Commons branch as a key piece of the campus dining mix, and it had earned a local following for its Margherita pie and other brick-oven specialties, per Brick Pizzeria's site.
What this means for Ballpark Commons
Ballpark Commons bills itself as a sports-anchored, mixed-use destination and in recent years has layered on hotels, restaurants and leisure venues around the ballfield. Swapping a sit-down pizzeria for an unspecified “entertainment experience” fits that playbook, keeping the campus focused on attractions that work even when there is no game on the schedule. Brick now shows up among the former dining options on the Ballpark Commons site, while city economic materials continue to tout the area as a draw for visitors and future tenants.
Next steps and local questions
For now, there is no public timetable or confirmed operator for whatever takes over the space. The company has said only that more details will be shared “in the weeks ahead,” a point noted in coverage by the Milwaukee Business Journal. In the meantime, Brick’s departure leaves a high-visibility vacancy in Franklin’s best-known entertainment campus and has regulars waiting to see what kind of show will replace one of the area’s few brick-oven pizza spots.
