Two local restaurants come to Marquette Place

Lucky’s Spitfire, Jackie’s Cafe serve up student meals

By Briana Nelson briana.nelson@marquette.edu

Marquette Place is known for several different restaurants such as Einstein Bros. Bagels and Erbert and Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop. Now, Marquette Place has opened up its doors to two new pop-up restaurants as well.

The first, Lucky’s Spitfire, is a Mediterranean fusion restaurant boasting a variety of chicken and gyro options.

The owner, Andrew Jacobsen, said that the restaurant’s status as a Fooda launch partner is what led him to bring the restaurant to Marquette.

Fooda is a company that works with restaurants to bring pop-ups to various locations in order to expand the restaurant’s business. The Fooda brand hosts more than 2,000 restaurants, chefs and caterers, helping them to grow their businesses. In Milwaukee, Fooda helps restaurants launch sites for lunch catering options.

Jacobsen said that he was excited for the opportunities that will come with this new venture.

“I’m most excited for everyone to get to know who we are and for us to get to know you. We think our food is the perfect kind of college eats menu. Not just that, but brand awareness is so important. Getting to know each other and creating a relationship with the student body is going to be really big for us,” Jacobsen said.

Monica Dreesen, a graduate student, had tried Lucky’s Spitfire before and recommends her favorite dish.

“I usually get the chicken pita box … they have this special sauce they use that is so good. It’s like a kind of Tzatsiki sauce,” Dreesen said.

Jacobsen said that since it’s a pop-up location they will not offer the full menu at Marquette, but he said there will still be an option for everyone.

“We will be offering our Mediterranean-style lunch options, gyro, chicken and falafel pita. Or you can order your own style over rice. We also offer non-dairy sauce and vegetarian options,” Jacobsen said.

The second pop-up is Jackie’s

Cafe, a restaurant offering Hmong cuisine and featuring dishes such as pho and spring rolls.

“I feel like we had quite a few options before but these are two of my favorite types of food. They both sound amazing, and I already really love Lucky’s Spitfire,” Dreesen said.

Julie Gotsch, a graduate student, attended North Central College in Naperville, Illinois for her undergraduate education. She said that Marquette offers a larger variety of dining than her previous institution.

“I just think that there’s a lot more options here. We had a couple places on campus for smoothies and little different restaurants, but it wasn’t like this big area with so many different options for so many diverse foods. I’m definitely going to try these newer places, too. I’m in awe right now because this is my first time eating here,” Gotsch said.

Erin Bertrand, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said in previous years when she had a meal plan she would’ve enjoyed a bigger variety of places to eat.

“I definitely wish there were some more options last year when I had more chances to go. It gets kind of old going to the same thing all the time,” said Bertrand.

Lucky’s Spitfire will be a pop-up at Marquette Place on Mondays, and Jackie’s cafe will appear on Fridays. Both of these restaurants will offer options that are compatible with the Meal X-Change program.

If Mondays or Fridays at

Marquette Place aren’t a good time for you, these restaurants are also available elsewhere throughout the week. There are two other Lucky’s Spitfire locations, one at the Eleven25 at Pabst apartments and one on South 108th Street in Hales Corners. Jackie’s Cafe can also be found on North 76th Street in Milwaukee.