Atwood Hwy BBQ is reopening in South Milwaukee at a new, larger location at 2703 S. Chicago Ave., and this time owner Donteah Morehouse is bringing a winery along with the barbecue. The space will also house Seventy-Nine Winery, described as set to be Wisconsin's first Black-owned winery, with the winery expected to open in spring 2027.
The planned opening would bring a Black-owned winery to South Milwaukee, pairing a tasting room with a neighborhood barbecue business.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Atwood Hwy BBQ plans to have its kitchen operational to take Thanksgiving preorders, and the restaurant plans to open to the public by the end of November. The new location previously housed Island Jam, a Jamaican restaurant, and most recently operated as a seafood shack. It's a significant upgrade in scale — the old 925 Madison Ave. space held just 30 people, while the new building can accommodate over 150, with room for event rentals and possibly live music.
From a Food Trailer Back to a Storefront
Atwood Hwy BBQ's previous South Milwaukee location closed in May 2024. At the time, Morehouse attributed the closure to “a multitude of factors,” per the paper's earlier report. After shutting the storefront, Morehouse and his wife, April, kept the business alive by operating out of their barbecue trailer at farmers markets and other events.
The road back to a brick-and-mortar space wasn't smooth. Morehouse said he broke his foot while he and his wife were considering opening in Cudahy. Separately, he said, a car struck the couple's barbecue trailer and set the business back tremendously. While his foot was healing, he said, he wasn't able to rebuild the trailer and renovate a new space at the same time. The couple also looked at a nearby former Planet Fitness before the Chicago Avenue location came together.
Winery Named for a Tennessee Highway
Morehouse, who grew up in Tennessee, said talks with the new space's owner had been ongoing for some time before everything came together this year. He described the eventual move as something that “just kind of happened,” the outlet reports. Seventy-Nine Winery takes its name from Route 79, a highway that runs through Tennessee, and Morehouse said his old 925 Madison Ave. space was simply too small to add a winery on top of the barbecue operation.
The winery will offer a mix of its own wines and outsourced bottles, along with hall space for tastings, once it opens in spring 2027. In the meantime, the barbecue trailer is expected to help operate Atwood Hwy BBQ during its first few months in the new building, while Morehouse has a new smoker on order that's set to arrive in springtime.
The winery’s spring 2027 target also sits within a federal licensing framework: businesses operating wine premises must receive approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau before beginning operations. The exact federal requirements depend on what the business plans to do, including whether it will produce or blend wine, bottle it, or only store it. The distinction is relevant as Seventy-Nine plans to offer both its own wines and outside bottles. TTB’s winery-permit guidance describes the approval requirement.
A Boost From a No-Interest Loan Platform
Kiva’s model is a loan, not a grant: the platform says U.S. borrowers can seek financing with no interest, fees or collateral, then raise funds through public crowdfunding. Applicants are also asked to show support from people in their own networks during a private fundraising phase. That structure helps explain why the platform can be useful to small businesses that need capital without conventional collateral, while still requiring borrowers to repay what they raise. Kiva’s U.S. borrower information outlines the terms and fundraising process.
South Milwaukee's economic development team connected Morehouse with Milwaukee County's team, and it was through those conversations that he learned about Kiva, a platform that crowdfunds no-interest loans for small businesses. Per the Atwood Hwy BBQ Kiva page, Morehouse raised $12,000 for inventory, marketing, equipment and staff. He called Kiva a top-notch organization for helping small businesses get off the ground.
