Breaking News: Ruby Tuesday closes at least seven Minnesota restaurants

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Over the last few days, 8 of the 12 Minnesota Ruby Tuesday restaurants have closed, as has 1 of the 2 Fargo stores.  The remaining stores are in Inver Grove, Shakopee, Rosedale and Southdale.

As the Site Selection Broker for 9 of the 12 Ruby Tuesday restaurants in Minnesota, I find it interesting that high profile properties like Plymouth and Eden Prairie were shuttered while two properties in smaller, less dense, suburban-fringe markets where Ruby Tuesday was the only ‘player’ remain open.

The race for space is on, as every piece of decent retail/restaurant real estate that comes available will have multiple interested parties.  Stay tuned!

A 2nd Dunkin’ Donut deal is signed for the Twin Cities

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Vantive Group, a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee, is opening a new 2,000 sf shop at 2425 Rice Street in St. Paul.   A separate franchisee group, Kod Kod Enterprises, will open the first Dunkin’ Donuts in the Twin Cities in New Hope.    Colliers is representing both franchisee groups.

 

 

 

New Bohemia adding more locations to the Twin Cities Market

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Since its first location in Minneapolis in 2012, New Bohemia Wurst & Bier Haus wurstphothas been on a tear to take over the wurst and sausage restaurant niche here.   They have opened locations in the Uptown area of Minneapolis, Eagan and Mankato, and now have a deal signed for a location in Roseville at Snelling Avenue and County Road C.      And that isn’t enough for this interesting and innovative restaurant group – the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports they are also looking for locations in the Southwest metro in Eden Prairie and Bloomington, the East metro in St Paul and Woodbury, and Northeast metro in Blaine and Lino Lakes, as well as outstate Rochester, then onto other states.  Brian Ingram, COO, was quoted in the Pioneer Press back in February, stating “We’d like to get 12 stores by the end of the year.  We’ve been looking at places like Eden Prairie and Woodbury.   We’ll probably open one in Wisconsin as well.”

These are guys who like to think outside of the box.  Inside their restaurants, customers sit at long communal tables.  The menu includes craft beer and traditional brats, but also smoked Antelope is on their menu, along with alligator, wild boar and yak – ACK!

Another Total Wine store opening in the Twin Cities

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Total Wine came to the Minnesota market in 2014, totalwinephotoopening up four stores in Roseville, Burnsville, Bloomington and Woodbury.   Maple Grove followed last year in 2015.  Their sixth store is under construction in Chanhassen, and should open in this spring.  And now Eagan will see Total Wine coming to the Central Park Commons development.    This market has been very successful for Total Wine, despite a rocky start with getting the governmental approvals they needed to get some of their stores opened.  The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal quoted Ed Cooper, Total Wine’s Vice President of Public Affairs, saying “There are others (locations) out there.  I don’t know that we have finished building out our capacity in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area.   Minnesota stores are particularly well performing for us and they reinforce our decision to come to the state.”   So stay tuned!