Benjamin Altschul and his mother Jane Capito have teamed up to purchase and re-open the Tip Top Tavern on North Street in Madison's Eken Park neighborhood.
The bar had previously been owned by the Beecher family since 1969.
"I'd admired the place growing up near it as a kid," says Altschul. "It was a union bar, an Oscar Mayer bar, and the kind of gritty and honest place people would come share their stories."
Altschul has most recently been working in real estate, but has years of experience working in his mother's restaurants and elsewhere.
Altschul and Capito plan to remake Tip Top in the image of Capito's other familiar funky and friendly neighborhood spots, Lazy Jane's and Mickey's Tavern.
Benjamin's brother, Gilbert Altschul, is currently opening Grampa's Pizzeria in the former Grampa's Gun Shop on Willy Street.
Current Mickey's chef Durrell Williams is helping develop the menu, and says food will be recognizable Mickey's fare with a twist.
"We want to go a little over the top because of the name," says Williams. "We'll be doing in-house corned beef and pastrami, in-house sauerkraut, a lot of cold sandwiches as well as an in-house burger."
Other planned items are deep fried pickles, a fried vegetable platter and asparagus tempura. Williams plans to source his bread for sandwiches from Lazy Jane's bakery.
The new Tip Top will serve both lunch and dinner during the week and brunch on weekends.
Says Altschul: "I feel grateful for the opportunity to reconnect the bar with this dynamic neighborhood. And we're really going to let the neighborhood in large part decide how the business develops. Right now we're focused on giving the building the love it deserves."
Altschul plans to have the Tip Top Tavern in tip-top shape by late June.
