Green Bay’s new pub, Irish Temper, fast becoming go-to spot

Sue Grossardt

Contributor

January 13, 2025

GREEN BAY – Three minutes after Green Bay’s newest pub and restaurant, Irish Temper, opened at the beginning of last month, Co-owner Tony Wiltgen said the first customer walked in the door.

Irish Temper – which is located at 240 N. Broadway, Suite B, in downtown Green Bay, sharing a building with Copper State Brewing Company and the Wisconsin Bank & Trust, a division of HTLF Bank – Wiltgen said, has received a similar response ever since.

“We have been blessed with a lot of happy customers right away,” he said.

Wiltgen – who co-owns the establishment with Jon Martens, Garritt Bader and Gregg Mattek – said the concept of the bar/restaurant began more than a year ago.

Wiltgen, a Chicago native, said he has always had an interest in the hospitality industry, namely owning a bar or restaurant, but the high price point in Chicago made the idea prohibitive.

“Everything is expensive and the area is denser,” he said.

Though from the Windy City, Wiltgen said Green Bay has a special place in his heart as his grandfather attended Abbot Pennings High School and worked in the area. 

Green Bay, he said, was a pit stop along the way when his family headed up to their cottage in Door County.

Eventually, Wiltgen said moving to the Green Bay area just made sense.

“I just decided that Chicago is a little bit too busy and too congested for me,” he said.

Wiltgen said when he had an opportunity to buy into White Dog – a downtown Green Bay staple – it sparked an idea within him.

“I decided to keep going and seek out other opportunities and people to partner and work with,” he said.  

Wiltgen said he’s learned many lessons since taking over White Dog in 2020.

“I definitely cut my teeth at the White Dog and learned a ton about how hard you have to work,” he said. “(Restaurant ownership) is not a get-rich type of passion – it’s about the experience. You have to want to do it… The passion has to be there to do that type of work: to create food, to create a fun atmosphere for people. I learned a ton about what the industry really meant, and what it means to be in the service industry.”

Initially, Wiltgen said he wanted to open a deli.

However, he said his food-focused vision, coupled with Bader’s idea to open an Irish bar, ultimately resulted in the concept of the Irish Temper, which also shares part of the building with Five Thumps Up, a dessert shop that features cheesecakes, baked goods and custom orders.

Wiltgen said the Irish Temper and Five Thumbs Up also share kitchen space.

“How many times do you hear people say, ‘oh, it would be fun to open a bar/restaurant’?” Wiltgen said. “You just don’t realize what you’re getting into and how many challenges you will face.”

Wiltgen said one of the many lessons he’s learned so far was understanding just how expensive everything is, including kitchen equipment.

“We have learned how expensive it is just to have a grease deep fryer and a grease trap,” he said. “It’s unbelievably expensive just to handle the waste and (manage) the dirt generated by an establishment.”

Staffing, Wiltgen said, is another challenge, but not in the way one might expect.

“The staffing market has fluctuated drastically from year to year between not having adequate staff to having too many people,” he said. “Finding qualified people, however, is an ongoing issue. There are a lot of people seeking jobs that I just can’t hire right now.”

The day-to-day

As one of four owners, Wiltgen said it is his job to run the day-to-day operations of Irish Temper. 

“My business partners are wonderful,” he said. “I’m in charge of operations.”

Though it’s also a drinking establishment, Wiltgen said there’s a spirit of cooperation and not a competition between Irish Temper and Copper State Brewing Company.

“Martens owns Copper State and has been very involved in helping me get some of the operation stuff lined up, but he’s got a full-time job over there,” he said. “He’s there for us when we need him. He has already done some incredible things.”

As a local developer, business partner, Bader, Wiltgen said, knows the ins and outs of that aspect, while Matic “is the finance guy.”

“He’s the one that makes sure that we’re all being fiscally responsible,” he said. “They are the masterminds behind the aesthetics here. I can’t take any credit for this, other than agreeing to it.”

Wiltgen said the vibe of the pub – which occupies the southwest corner of the building – has a big-city feel with a capacity of 40 patrons.

“We have a very inviting atmosphere, reminiscent of the traditional Irish pub,” he said.

As one would imagine, Wiltgen said the Irish Temper’s menu includes traditional Irish fare items, including cottage pie, Irish stew, Reuben sandwich, tempered crostinis and Reuben nachos.  Beverages on the menu, he said, include Guinness Stout, Smithwicks Ale, St. Brigid’s Stout, Lucky Llama IPA, Phoenix Rising Red,  Jameson Black Barrel, The Irishman and specialty cocktails like Jamo & Ginger, Irish Up and Maggie O’Rita.

The events at the pub, Wiltgen said, are creating themselves.

“We love seeing people connecting from a few bar stools away,” he said. “Come in for a drink with just a buddy, and you leave with new friends – seriously. We’re seeing that already. The camaraderie is palpable evidenced by new friendships. (Some) folks even spontaneously gathered at Irish Temper for a potluck dinner on Christmas Day.”

Irish Temper’s crowd on New Year’s Eve, Wiltgen said, was another pleasant surprise.

“We were at capacity that night,” he said. “It was our best sales night so far.”

The right fit

Naming the bar was an easy task, Wiltgen said, reaching out to his brother, Mike, who lives in Chicago, for input. 

“He responded back ‘Irish Temper’ in about one minute,” he said. “We are a part of an Irish family and from the south side of Chicago. There are a lot of little Irish bars in Chicago.”  

Wiltgen said opening Irish Temper in December on the corner of Broadway and Dousman was fortuitous, given the foot traffic generated by the Broadway District’s Winter Wine & Beer Walk shortly after the pub’s soft opening.

“We were one of many stops along the way,” he said. “We had more than 300 people stop in for a sample of beer.”

Wiltgen said running operations at Irish Temper is definitely a far cry from his nine-to-five job as a data engineer for a global consultancy.

“I talk on the phone to customers about computer stuff,” he said.

Wiltgen said he is also a part-time musician and vocalist – playing the keyboard and guitar in several bands as does his friend, Gerry Sloan, who is also one of the other bartenders at Irish Temper.

Irish Temper is open from 4-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Visit irishtemper.com for more details.