Posted: Nov. 13, 2009

Whitefish Bay — As soon as word got out the Pandl's Restaurant in Bayside was closing its doors, John Pandl began getting questions from customers and others about the fate of his Whitefish Bay restaurant.

His answer is simple: "We're not going anywhere."

There are no plans to close Jack Pandl's Whitefish Bay Inn, which has been at the same location on Lake Drive and Henry Clay Street since 1915, said John Pandl, who owns the popular eatery with his wife, Laura.

"We've been in business 95 years and I plan to keep it going as long as I can," he said. "There is a lot of history behind Pandl's in Whitefish Bay."

John Pandl acknowledged that the recession, coupled with more competition and a change in eating habits, has taken a toll on the business. "It's not what it was 30 or 40 years ago, when there were only one-tenth of the restaurants that there are now," he said.

Still, he added: "We plan to continue on for however long the business will stay in the family."

 

- Mark Maley