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When more than a foot of rain fell on Milwaukee County in a single day this August, the deluge didn’t just wash away roads and damage homes—it nearly drowned Wauwatosa’s restaurant scene. In places, floodwaters surged four feet high inside dining rooms and kitchens, destroying years of investment in mere hours.
Now, weeks later, the story isn’t about the storm. It’s about survival.
A Café Submerged
At Café Hollander, a cornerstone of the Village of Wauwatosa, the water rushed in so quickly that staff barely had time to salvage anything. Freezers toppled, ovens fried out, and nearly every piece of equipment sat under water for hours. Owners estimate that more than three-quarters of their kitchen equipment was destroyed, resulting in a loss of tens of thousands of dollars.…