Welcome to Milwaukee! Enjoy our beer, brats, cheese…and barbeque.
It’s hard to spend a summer in our city without seeing the Saz’s name, and that’s by design.
An institution in the city’s festival circuit, Saz’s can be found operating concession stands at Summerfest, Wisconsin State Fair, Bastille Days and Irish Fest, and in 2024, as vendor for the 2024 RNC.
“As our hospitality scene continues to flourish, we’ve been proud to call Milwaukee home for over 48 years,” says Curt Kluth, chief executive officer. “If it’s your first time in Milwaukee, you have to do a Miller Brewery tour and then head just a few blocks west to Saz’s State House so you can join us for a cocktail and a bite where it all started in 1976.”
In 1979, just three years after Saz’s put its stake in the ground, a State House regular shared the need for a food vendor at Summerfest’s Miller Jazz Oasis. After “a lot of brainstorming and a couple of Miller High Lifes,” Summerfest attendees were introduced to a selection of handheld menu items – meant to be enjoyed while standing and watching live music. Saz’s has been a Summerfest mainstay ever since, where today a dedicated team of over 200 workers serve up thousands of meals daily.
Kluth says the classics, like hand-rolled mozzarella marinara, sour cream and chive fries, and white cheddar cheese curds, still reign supreme.
“We are so proud that when people think of Summerfest food, Saz’s is usually one of the first things out of their mouths,” says Kluth. “We have to be ready with truckloads of food each year from our local partners like Johnsonville, Sciortino’s Bakery, Milwaukee Pretzel Co., and of course, with plenty of Wisconsin cheese!”
Saz’s State House is still operating in the same location today, and in addition to its festival portfolio, Saz’s maintains successful catering and barbeque product retail divisions. They’re also a major employer in the city, especially seasonally.
“For many of our team members, it’s their first taste of the workplace, and as a seven-time Top Workplace award winner, we see many individuals come back to join our team summer after summer,” explains Kluth, who himself has been an employee of Saz’s since 1994. “We’re home to a diverse and motivated workforce.”
Kluth credits the Saz’s pipeline of hospitality talent for providing great food and over-the-top service to Milwaukee residents and visitors alike, cementing their decision to thrive in the city where the company’s story began.
“Saz’s heart beats to Milwaukee’s rhythm,” he says, “especially now as we raise a toast to the city’s vibrant charm and one-of-a-kind flair with a summer to remember just around the corner.”
