South Milwaukee Pizza Hut, closed since the manager was found killed, to reopen in Cudahy

The South Milwaukee Pizza Hut ― which has been serving slices for nearly 50 years out of the same building ― has remained closed after a homicide took place on the property earlier this month.

The restaurant is planning to reopen, but plans indicate it'll be in a new space in a different southern suburb.

Milwaukee resident Kavonn Ingram is accused of killing his coworker, 55-year-old Alex Stengel, at the pizzeria, according to the criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The body of Stengel, a manager at the restaurant, was found in a garbage cart on the Pizza Hut property Feb. 7.

Ingram, 31, was arrested Feb. 11 at another Pizza Hut in Milwaukee and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, hiding a corpse, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm as a felon on Feb. 16. He has pleaded not guilty, according to online court records.

Pizza Hut property is up for sale; new location planned in Cudahy

Milwaukee-based Mid-America Real Estate Group has the pizzeria property, 124 N. Chicago Ave., listed for sale on its website, calling the parcel a “Former Pizza Hut.” The asking price for the 2,536-square-foot building on 0.43 acres is $625,000.

Pizza Hut has been operating month-to-month since the eatery’s lease expired in August 2022, according to the listing from Mid-America. The restaurant has been there for nearly five decades with property records showing an occupancy permit was paid and issued to Pizza Hut, Inc. in April 1975.

In April 2022, a Pizza Hut employee told a Journal Sentinel reporter the business would be moving to the former O'Reilly's Auto Parts, 6001 S. Packard Ave. in Cudahy. At that time, Patrick Brever, city administrator for South Milwaukee, confirmed the general manager of the South Milwaukee Pizza Hut had told the city the restaurant would be relocating to Cudahy.

The move was anticipated to happen in a few months, but it has now been nearly two years and as of Feb. 20, Brever said the city had not received any updates.

Smaller space but dine-in seating may return

Real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield / Boerke is now leasing space in the former O'Reilly building and the listing shows Pizza Hut occupying 1,824 square feet of the 6,609-square-foot building and offering 30 seats for customers. While the South Milwaukee location had a dining space primarily from the days when the pizzeria offered a buffet-style experience, it was rarely used for years and eventually barricaded.

The listing invites up to three tenants to “join Pizza Hut at this new 2024 retail development.” The additional square footage is divided into three equal storefronts ― 1,595 square feet apiece ― but the flyer states spaces could be combined up to the full remaining 4,785 square feet for a single, larger user.

The lease rate is $18 per square foot, per the property flyer.

Cudahy City Administrator Casey Griffiths said he was informed by a representative of Mid-America that the build-out of the former O’Reilly’s building would start soon.

He said Cudahy has received and issued building and electrical permits for the property. The city also received requests recently regarding sewer and water lateral installation.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone directly with the building or construction project, so I don’t have a specific timeframe on construction or expectations on when the building is expected to be completed, but it does appear to be in the process of moving forward,” Griffiths said.

Wisconsin Department of Revenue Records lists the property as owned by EYM Realty of Wisconsin LLC as of Aug. 3, 2022, when it was purchased from O'Reilly Automotive Stores, Inc. for $540,000. EYM Realty, an independently owned real estate firm, has worked with various restaurants in the past, including Pizza Hut.

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: South Milwaukee Pizza Hut, closed since homicide, to reopen in Cudahy