Orlando-based escape room adventure business Escapology plans to open two new Wisconsin locations, in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and in Brookfield.
Those locations are coming after Escapology opened a location in Lake Delton in the Wisconsin Dells area in 2024.
Jerry Benson, a lifelong Wisconsin resident and owner of Escapology in the Dells, signed the multi-unit agreement that is expanding the franchise into the greater Milwaukee market.
“We believe, and this is Escapology across the board, that every guest should have a five-star experience,” Benson said. “We really aim for five-star customer satisfaction. It’s one of the first things I do right away every day when I wake up is I read through reviews. It’s fun to read the reviews that some of the folks leave, and they just have a wonderful time. So, it feels good.”
The Third Ward location for Escapology will be at 231 E. Buffalo St. and is slated for an October opening. The Brookfield location is targeting an early 2027 opening and will be at 18900 W. Bluemound Road.
Escapology is entering the market with competition very close to the two new locations. Escape the Room Milwaukee has been located in the Third Ward since 2018. Catch-22 Escape Rooms is located in Brookfield.
“The location choices were based purely on what felt like high customer traffic,” Benson said. “I will say that there is no doubt our customers will certainly be using the other escape rooms as well. We wish nothing but great customer experiences no matter what escape room they visit.”
Benson, who is also leading the management of the new locations, said he believes that Escapology’s high level of customer service, and their corporate resources like marketing, operations and technology teams will separate them from competitors.
“We were a little nervous when we went into the Wisconsin Dells market,” said Benson. “We’re probably the escape room of choice in the Dells area, and we’ll try to bring that to the Milwaukee area. We want to be the best.”
Benson went to his first escape room in Verona, which was the first Escapology location opened in the state.
“I went there with my daughter and her boyfriend, and we had a good time,” Benson said. “The people were excited to come, and they were excited when they left. They were happy, they were smiling, and I was just like, gosh, maybe this is something for me.”
So, after 27 years, Benson left his work in manufacturing to transition into business ownership, which allowed him flexibility and control over his own career. He is betting on the continued growth in Milwaukee of entertainment concepts and experiential business models.
“Basically, what happened was that I talked about it for like a year. I would watch all the escape rooms around Madison or in the area,” Benson said. “I’d always talk about it. After a year, my wife was like, ‘you know, you got to go ahead and go for it, or you just got to stop talking about it.’”
Benson isn’t worried about people getting tired of escape rooms because for him they are here to stay, and he believes that Escapology will succeed in the Milwaukee market.
“People in the beginning thought, ‘oh, is it a fad?’” Benson said. “It’s kind of like watching a movie, and people still watch movies. Escape rooms are just a good chance for people to connect as a group, have fun and try to problem solve their way out of a room to escape in under 60 minutes.”
Roger Ribbke, the current manager of the Lake Delton location in the Wisconsin Dells, will be promoted to a regional manager of their Wisconsin locations. They are looking to hire around 12 employees for each location, including a general manager overseeing them.
Escapology in the Dells has seven rooms, while these two new locations will have eight rooms. They have licensed games from Warner Bros. such as Scooby Doo and Batman, while also offering their own original rooms.
The pricing of the new locations is still being determined, but Escapology in the Dells charges $39.99 with opportunities for discounts such as room replay discounts. These new locations might be a little higher, according to Benson, to compensate for the higher occupancy costs in Milwaukee.
As part of Escapology’s multi-unit agreement in Milwaukee, consumers of escape rooms can expect another location to open as three new locations were agreed upon. Benson says they are considering the third location to be more central either north or south.
