Wauwatosa Ask Now: How does the Peony Restaurant stay open?

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How does the Peony Restaurant stay open?

Issue: That's what our reader asked after not seeing activity at the restaurant at 11120 W. Bluemound Road.

"There are never cars in the parking lot day after day, month after month, year after year," the reader wrote. They characterized the lack of activity as "suspicious."

Status: We stopped in on a cold, snowy Tuesday afternoon to follow up. What we found was an empty parking lot and an empty, dimly lit interior. Peony is open for business, but the restaurant is for sale, said manager Lisa Wong. She said the owner would like to retire. She does not know why someone driving by on a regular basis would not see any activity.

"Sometimes business is good, sometimes not good," Wong said of the dine-in or carry-out service.

Peony does not display a for sale sign, but Wong said it is listed with Anderson Commercial Group based in Greenfield. The real estate website advertises the building as 4,055 square feet with zoning that would allow it to be a restaurant or other type of business, such as office space. The listing price is $775,000.

"The zoning allows for a number of different uses", said Jan Kadow, the listing agent. "We have had some inquiries and we have sent out marketing information."

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