Southside - News & General Topics

Calhoun-Isles, Cedar-Riverside, Longfellow, Nokomis, Phillips, Powderhorn, and Southwest
HiawathaGuy
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby HiawathaGuy » November 14th, 2017, 5:05 pm

Potential buyers emerge for Pepitos site in south Minneapolis
https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... south.html
*LOCKED*

Gist:
Eddie Landenberger, principal with Minneapolis-based Assembly MN, and his business partner Ward Johnson are trying to purchase both Pepitos and the adjacent Parkway Theater, Landenberger said, adding that they have a signed purchase agreement in place for the property. Landenberger declined to comment further.

Heavy Table reported on Monday that Sonora Grill is one of several concepts being considered by Landenberger and Johnson to take over the Pepitos restaurant space in south Minneapolis, if they finalize their purchase of the property.

QuietBlue
Target Field
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby QuietBlue » November 16th, 2017, 8:34 am

I looked up Sonora Grill's menu. $5 for a taco? $8 for a side of rice and beans? LOL.

HiawathaGuy
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby HiawathaGuy » November 16th, 2017, 9:31 am

I looked up Sonora Grill's menu. $5 for a taco? $8 for a side of rice and beans? LOL.
If you haven't been there, don't judge. You can cherrypick most restaurant's menu's like that. Sonora has great sandwiches that are a decent value for the size. If a $5 taco doesn't suit you, either don't buy it or don't go there. They aren't a taco cart (which I love, so I'm not being derogatory), so I don't really blame them for charging that for starter items that people may order during happy hour.

Sara Bergen

Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby Sara Bergen » November 16th, 2017, 9:31 am

Sounds like you have not been to the Sonora Grill, either at its current location, or when it was in the Global Market. Try it during happy hour if the prices offend you. The food is amazing. When we go there for dinner we usually get an order of the nachos (the nachos are excellent) and a few tacos and share. If we don't get beer the total bill is around $20.

HiawathaGuy
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby HiawathaGuy » November 29th, 2017, 1:00 pm

Apartment building for seniors facing homelessness to open in 2018
http://www.longfellownokomismessenger.c ... n-in-2018/

MNdible
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby MNdible » November 29th, 2017, 1:36 pm

By my count, that's only three stories.

kirby96
Union Depot
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby kirby96 » November 30th, 2017, 2:00 pm

Whiskey Junction to close. Cites pending minimum wage hike. Real bummer for music. Twin Town held their recitals there which were pretty cool (said as a previous participant).

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VacantLuxuries
Foshay Tower
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby VacantLuxuries » November 30th, 2017, 3:59 pm

A lot of regulars are commenting on the articles about how often it's dead in there, and how they think the minimum wage is just a way for the owners to blame someone else for their failures.

kirby96
Union Depot
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby kirby96 » November 30th, 2017, 5:05 pm

A lot of regulars are commenting on the articles about how often it's dead in there, and how they think the minimum wage is just a way for the owners to blame someone else for their failures.
That very well could be true, especially as the wage hike hasn't even kicked in yet. I think the reality is probably more nuanced (and to me, worrisome). I kinda sorta suspect there are a bunch of marginal bars and restaurants around that can kinda sorta keep it rolling but not really make a ton of money for whom the pending wage hike without tip credit might push them to the point of saying, "not worth it".

Sure, the cause of that is ultimately that the business model just aint' that great. The problem is, I think having places like those rather than empty storefronts is VERY beneficial to the city. Some of them are probably the most oddball and interesting places we have, and yeah, people actually have jobs there. I don't really want the base requirement for business success to be that you have a blockbuster idea that's jammed to the gills 7 nights a week.

A short random list of guesses at 'likely to close but would rather have open' that I find myself in periodically:

Driftwood Char (another live music place)
La Fresca (good but isolated. Never been busy when I've been there)
King's (only OK and overpriced. Probably doomed, but better than vacant)
Harriet Brasserie (very good, only occasionally busy when I go over. It's in Linden Hills, but would be a damn shame)
Vo's on Lyndale (only so-so, never busy, but nice to have close. Great owner)
Cocina Latina (only so-so, doesn't seem busy, only old school mexican place nearby)

nstudenski
Metrodome
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby nstudenski » December 1st, 2017, 8:43 am

I think having places like those rather than empty storefronts is VERY beneficial to the city. Some of them are probably the most oddball and interesting places we have, and yeah, people actually have jobs there. I don't really want the base requirement for business success to be that you have a blockbuster idea that's jammed to the gills 7 nights a week.
I totally agree here. Plenty of my favorite bars and restaurants seem to be working with pretty thin margins.

I guess the pro-minimum argument here is that the people who work at these places don't get their paychecks in *contribution to neighborhood character*. Then the base requirement for business success is really that you have to be able to pay your workers a fair wage.

I'm not sure where I stand on this issue. Nobody wants exploited workers or empty storefronts, and selecting a threshold for 'fair' wage seems to be more art than science.

SurlyLHT
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby SurlyLHT » December 1st, 2017, 8:58 am

Is it just me or has anyone else thought that the owners have decided that rather than run a semi-struggling business with upcoming market-related challenges (minimum wage) that they have decided to close and see if they can sell the site for a tidy sum? It's on the intersection of 94, Cedar/Minnehaha and at a Blue line station and Franklin. This has to be one of the more transportation connected areas in the city that's underdeveloped.

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FISHMANPET
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby FISHMANPET » December 1st, 2017, 9:04 am

It strikes me as a great way to close your business without really losing any goodwill from the community, allowing you to reopen something in the future.

MNdible
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby MNdible » December 1st, 2017, 10:20 am

I'm sure there are other contributing factors, but maybe having a $15 minimum wage without a tip credit is in fact just a bad idea, as pretty much everybody in the hospitality industry told the City Council.

kirby96
Union Depot
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby kirby96 » December 1st, 2017, 12:16 pm

...selecting a threshold for 'fair' wage seems to be more art than science.
I think this is actually the key to the whole argument.

I've begun to think that there are a whole lot of relationships that can be understood with a pseudo-'Laffer Curve' (the infamous and much maligned argument made for tax cuts during the Reagan Administration). That dude was a supply sider (which I most certainly am not), but I think the concept is basically true: the curve holds that at zero taxation government revenue is zero, and that at 100% taxation government revenue goes to zero (no incentive, ...that part is debatable, but it seems reasonable that at some point revenue would decrease). Between those points revenue increases a while, and then eventually decreases

...so basically, the tax cut vs. tax raise argument is largely a debate over how that curve is shaped and where we are on that curve. And no one really knows (hence it's an art).

Minimum wage seems like at extremes it would behave similarly. But no one knows where we are on the curve. As such, I've been strongly supportive of minimum wage hikes, but with a lot of little steps and not rocking the boat too much with the tip credit change. I guess we'll see how it goes.

[EDIT: ...and the ordinance does more or less accomplish the lots of little steps part, so I'm certainly not vehemently opposed, but I do think the impact on bars restaurants could significantly change the character of the city.]

HiawathaGuy
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby HiawathaGuy » December 5th, 2017, 11:13 am

Apartment building for seniors facing homelessness to open in 2018
http://www.longfellownokomismessenger.c ... n-in-2018/
COUNCIL AWARDS FUNDS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Minnehaha Commons, Minneapolis - $250,000 to support construction of 43 studio apartments for low-income adults age 55 and older who have experienced homelessness and other barriers to accessing stable housing.

billhelm
Nicollet Mall
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby billhelm » February 15th, 2018, 12:26 pm

http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/pe ... /474122593

The purchaser of the Pepitos and Parkway Theater spaces has been revealed as well as El Burrito Mercado setting up their second location.

The theater is not going to get a digital upgrade, but will continue to focus on old movies, live music and other programming. It needs a lot of work, I wish them luck!

This will be a nice addition to the neighborhood if executed well.

QuietBlue
Target Field
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby QuietBlue » February 16th, 2018, 8:27 am

El Burrito Mercado is excellent; I hope it does well there.

mplsjaromir
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby mplsjaromir » February 21st, 2018, 8:59 am

Oak Properties has purchased multiple properties on Minnehaha north of 54th St S. Two contiguous pieces of land are on the east side just north of 54th and the west side of the Snelling Motel.

SurlyLHT
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby SurlyLHT » February 28th, 2018, 10:38 am

Packet for an apartment building across from Karmel Mall.

http://minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/pub ... 208870.pdf

HiawathaGuy
Wells Fargo Center
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Re: Southside - General Topics

Postby HiawathaGuy » February 28th, 2018, 10:55 am

Oak Properties has purchased multiple properties on Minnehaha north of 54th St S. Two contiguous pieces of land are on the east side just north of 54th and the west side of the Snelling Motel.
Interesting, Olin Properties (built Olin Crossings at Minnehaha & 53rd and the large residential building across the street) owned most all of the vacant property north of Snelling Motel (still does according to Hennepin County Property Tax info - but that's usually behind), as well as the lots at the corner of 54th & Minnehaha. The assembled all those lots prior to the market downturn. They had proposed an apartment building for the corner, but they neighbors opposed that. And then got a ROW variance and approval a two-phased apartment building for the lots north of Snelling Motel, that never happened.

Hopefully the new owner will actually build something here - it's such prime housing real estate!


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