Gray Jett bringing vegan restaurant to former Broken Yolk spot on Marquette University campus

Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Broken Yolk, known by Marquette students as "Bro Yo," has closed.
Broken Yolk, known by Marquette students as "Bro Yo," has closed.

Gray Jett vegan restaurant is coming to the former Broken Yolk space at 1617 W. Wells St. on Marquette University's campus, bringing a new restaurant after three spots in the neighborhood closed at the end of the spring semester.

Owner Shana Gray started the venture with her partner Andren Jett in November 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic gave them time to stay at home and cook vegan meals.

Gray had gone vegan six years ago, and during the pandemic she realized how limited vegan options were. She worked in health care, and when people would purchase health care workers meals during the pandemic, she had a hard time finding a meal for herself.

"I couldn't participate because they weren’t vegan," Gray said. "It was eye-opening about the food system, here is Wisconsin in particular."

That led to the couple having date nights where they would try new vegan recipes and then share them with friends.

Andren Jett and Shana Gray, owners of Gray Jett Cafe, were finalists in this year's Rev-Up MKE competition.
Andren Jett and Shana Gray, owners of Gray Jett Cafe, were finalists in this year's Rev-Up MKE competition.

"We came up with all this cuisine in our kitchens, and friends and family would say that you should definitely do something with this," Gray said. "People started hiring me to fix them cuisine the way that I do it, and if someone wants to pay me for this, there is a clearly a deficit. That’s when we got started."

The couple have been operating out of a mobile cafe, based in The Neighborhood Kitchen ghost kitchen at 8103 W. Tower Ave. They plan to open in the Wells Street space in August.

Gray Jett gained notoriety when they were a finalist in Near Westside Partner's Rev-Up MKE startup competition.

That also gave them contacts at Marquette University, which was a sponsor of the competition.

"They said they were in dire need of what we have," Gray said. "Marquette campus is kind of considered our target audience. Not only do you have the students, but most of them are from elsewhere in the U.S. where there are more vegan options."

Gray said the vegan items would be highlighted on the menu, but every dish would have a non-vegan counterpart.

"Vegan might not be for everyone," Gray said. "We want to be inclusive."

Broken Yolk's last day on Marquette's campus was May 21 after 15 years at 1617 W. Wells St.

Sobelman's also closed its Marquette campus location on May 21 at 1601 W. Wells St. Two blocks east, Tangled Noodles and More, 1404 W. Wells St., closed in June to move to the Eleven25 at Pabst building, 1125 N. Ninth St.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gray Jett vegan restaurant coming to Marquette University campus