Applebee's to stay; Mad Dog is out in Tosa

Applebee's is open in the Village and will stay that way now that the owner of Mad Dog Saloon has withdrawn his proposal to move into the building at 68th and State streets.

The city received a letter from Dominic Lalicata, the attorney for the owner of Mad Dog Saloon in Greenfield, stating he was pulling any pending applications for permits to open a bar in the building occupied by Applebee's.

Anthony Cortese, vice president of marketing for Wisconsin Hospitality Group, which owns Applebee's, said he's not clear about what transpired behind the scenes. He only knows that the purchase of the property by Mad Dog was no longer going to be pursued.

"If the worse news is that we get to keep serving our guests on State Street, our employees don't have to move to another location and Applebee's remains part of the neighborhood, we aren't all that sad to hear it," he said.

Lalicata had twice come before the Plan Commission with his proposal to open a sports bar. On both occasions he was met with lack of support from the panel, which voted unanimously Feb. 7 to withhold its recommendation for the plan.

The limited parking and shared lot with Metcalfe's Market, the reputation of Lalicata's other businesses, and the number of bars in close proximity were among the reasons given by commissioners and residents for opposition.