Mader's Robbed

Mader's Restaurant has been in business since 1902.

Yesteday morning, it was robbed. That's a first for the restaurant.

MILWAUKEE -- One of the most famous German restaurants in the country became a crime scene Monday morning after two people wearing Halloween masks entered through an open kitchen door, locked employees in a freezer and stole money from the safe, police said.

There were no customers in Mader's, at 1041 N. Old World Third Street, at the time and the staff was getting ready for lunch, restaurant owner Victor Mader said.

Police said one robber stayed outside in a getaway vehicle while the two others got away with an unknown amount of money.

Whoever the robbers are, police said, likely knew the restaurant, had knowledge of the business hours, the location of the safe, and knew that employees would be there to help them get to it.

..."I've never even seen a gun or a robbery in this area, so this is really a fluke for us," Mader said. "We've been here since 1902. The neighborhood actually just keeps getting better."

Because the robbers knew the restaurant well, police think it may have been an inside job.

It's also possible that the robbers worked at Mader's several years ago.

Never before in its 105 year history has Mader's been robbed.

Although I don't think the robbery indicates that Old World Third St. is a dangerous area or that restaurant patrons have reason to fear for their safety, it's a sad chapter in the history of one of Milwaukee's landmarks.