urbanMSP

Not too surprising. I've been assuming that any restaurant that didn't even try to partially reopen for the summer isn't going to, especially HopCat, which had a decent sized patio already and a pretty obvious place to expand it if necessary. I think they should have done takeout at the very least, with ~400 people living right above them and >1000 more within a block, but, hey, eventually some entrepreneur will realize that people do actually live downtown, right?

Not too surprising. I've been assuming that any restaurant that didn't even try to partially reopen for the summer isn't going to, especially HopCat, which had a decent sized patio already and a pretty obvious place to expand it if necessary. I think they should have done takeout at the very least, with ~400 people living right above them and >1000 more within a block, but, hey, eventually some entrepreneur will realize that people do actually live downtown, right?

Their bankruptcy probably had something to do with it.

https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids ... uptcy.html

That being said, I went to college near Grand Rapids, MI. I had heard about HopCat for years for years from friends that still lived in the area. My excitement when they arrived was quickly deflated by mediocre food and a overpriced beer list. Not going to miss them much.

I can't say I'm surprised. Their service was awful and prices were too high for the quality of food and drinks. They did have a good happy hour though.

They didn't even attempt to reopen since March. I suspect by April they were already planning on not reopening.

I welcome the rapture of massive restaurants from Nicollet tbh. If this is how it's going to happen, so be it. It's not like they're going to tear down Nic on Fifth or IDS Center to build a parking lot as a result.

I liked Hopcat. Food was solid and their beer list was better than Cityworks. Prices may have been a bit high. I'm sure their rent was a bit high as well.

I am sorry but any business that closes is another blow to downtown. We are also talking about more jobs here. Personally I think a mix of independent restaurants and "chains" (HopCat wasn't a huge national chain) downtown would appeal to a broader mix of visitors and residents. I really don't see Nicollet becoming lined with small, independent restaurants anytime soon (or chains for that matter considering the ongoing civil unrest/safety concerns/COVID). Unless the city comes up with some plan in conjunction with building owners/managers to lower rent and taxes it's really going to be hard to fill these vacant spaces - restaurants and retail. Now is the time for the city to really step up and try to make incentives for businesses to remain downtown. Also -Candyland closed on 8th.

1st off, Nicollet needs massive change to become a vibrant and welcoming area again. And I really don't see that coming in a 10,000 sqf restaurant (see Cityworks). Nicollet was on the verge of death before Covid-19. Spaces have been tough to fill for years since the fall of Macy's, Saks Fifth Ave and others. Luckily, landlords have finally learned that splitting their footprint could actually be the better approach to fill up spaces in a more manageable time frame. Continued splits will help more business grow meaning more employments and more general activity.

2nd off, I literally live downtown. North Loop is beeming with activity. Maybe not the activity it would have had if the Twins were still playing, but its residential core is keeping it alive. Downtown core has always had this problem of being a place for workers. No workers, no business. And as a resident of North Loop, Id have very little reason to go to Nicollet if it weren't for Target. North Loop works because there's a mix of nail salons, bakeries, dentists, furniture stores, etc built below residential uses. Again, small scale uses, more employment, more activity, more resilience.

Also, Candyland having 2 locations within a block of eachother was weird in the first place.

The facelift of City Center was a missed opportunity to simply tear that entire bottom structure down and rebuild it as housing with smaller spaces for ground floor retail. The businesses that fit in the existing City Center spaces are taking body blows all around the country and seem unlikely to recover. That middle stretch of Nicollet is abandoned outside of work hours, and that particular block is a huge nothing.

Waiting for a developer to spot the skirts of the City Center tower as the redevelopment opportunity that they are. Dayton's will help, but the critical piece on Nicollet is the City Center block.

True about Candyland. They should have consolidated and made their store more of any experience and a bit more welcoming. City Center, Gaviidae and Daytons all could have a huge impact if they have the right mix of tenants/uses and also make their spaces more updated/inviting. These issues are not new. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Boludo is opening a second location in the former McKinney Roe space. I suspect it'll work better there than a fancy restaurant.

Boludo is opening a second location in the former McKinney Roe space. I suspect it'll work better there than a fancy restaurant.

The problem with McKinney Row was they charged fancy restaurant prices without offering fancy restaurant quality of food and service. People are happy to pay more if they are getting something for their money.

I'm excited about this. Hopefully it's successful and they can add late night service. That would be a big win for the neighborhood.

I wonder how they'll subdivide the space. Boludo only needs a little bit of what was a huge space, and it would be a shame to gut out all of the fancy interiors after such a short run.

'fancy' Eh... it was cheap pastiche of a brasseire with a weird 1970s fern bar vibe. Completely out of context for the space and building. Gut it.

Whether or not you like it, and even setting aside the financial side of things, it's not great for the embodied energy of a build-out like that to end up in the landfill after a very short service life.

More info on Boludo including some Q and A http://millcitytimes.com/news/small-bus ... oludo.html

Who’s celebrating tonight with a sit down meal?

Not tonight but odds are I will go out to eat this weekend.

I'm worried that the new strain will make the reopening something we look back at with regret.

Maybe, maybe not. We wont truly know. I do think we are in a stronger position then say june based on testing and as a data person testing is the most important.
Its for sure going to be threading the needle. Cases will go up with things open but the question becomes with vaccine distribution also on the rise I think we might be ok but who knows. We are up to around 150,000 people in MN who have gotten the vaccine. All of my friends in the medical field have gotten the first shot already which is very good news.
Also would it be safe to assume we might see new strains form every so often much like we see with the flu every year(please dont read that as me being a its just the flu person) ?

I haven't risked my life to go into a store, bar, restaurant, or public building (save for a 5 minute dash into and out of a gas station or highway rest area when traveling) since this whole thing started, so I'm not about to start now. At least there's light at the end of the tunnel now that we have a vaccine so it's just a matter of time until it's my turn and then I can do something other than curbside pickup.