If you were grabbing lunch at the Milwaukee Public Market on Thursday, you might have bumped into Oprah Winfrey.
Pat’s Rib Place is owned by Alisha and Ty Hayes.
Pat’s Rib Place, which opened in Waukesha in 2009, has family ties to Winfrey — Alisha is her niece. The public market location is their first and only operation in Milwaukee.
Winfrey has occasionally promoted her niece’s business, including its signature sauces. In 2020, Oprah’s Favorite Things, the celebrity’s annual holiday gift list published in O magazine, featured a two-jar variety pack of Pat’s House Sauce and Brown Brown Sauce. Both sauces are made at the family-owned restaurant.
Winfrey is in Milwaukee for a family funeral, according to a spokesperson for Oprah Winfrey.
