Lunds & Byerlys out – Rustica in

rusticabakery

 

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal is reporting that the Lunds & Byerlys Kitchen in Wayzata is closing before the month is over, to be replaced by Rustica Bakery.

Lunds & Byerlys opened their 17,000 sf store in March of 2014 in the newly developed mixed use project of Promenade of Wayzata.   It was a new way of looking at the grocery business for them, with only 17,000 sf and heavy emphasis on prepared foods with a restaurant, wine & beer bar.  Back in 2014, Tres Lund told the Business Journal that “the average household is preparing multiple meals at home, and this is an opportunity to have restaurant-quality prepared food with a depth of variety that you’re just not going to find right now.”   But it never really took off, and combined with the slow addition of adjacent retail at the center, didn’t generate enough traffic to succeed.  Rustica will open this spring with a café, baked goods and ice cream.