Embassy Suites (Plymouth Building) - 12 6th Street S

[seamonster]

Old Country Buffet

[kirby96]

Bakers Square would kill it there.

[Nathan]

Bakers square belongs at butler square. Then we can have mc squared and bs squared

Squared is a bizarre looking word.

[Anondson]

Culver's? Oh yeah.

[amiller92]

Similar ideas that do well downtown are Capitol Grille, Rock Bottom, Mc Cormick and Schmick, Ruth's Chris...

With the exception of Rock Bottom (honestly, not sure why they make it), these are expense account places that make their money off of downtown business customers (see also Manny's).

That crowd is not going to the Cheesecake Factory. So who is going to drive past the one in their local mall to go to the one downtown (but see Melting Pot)?

Anyway, I'm no expert, but downmarket chain does not seem like the way to go downtown.

Edited because bad at typing.

[mister.shoes]

Rock Bottom makes it due to State Theater business, I'm convinced. Especially people who come in from out of town and just park in the LaSalle Plaza garage and get dinner before the show.

[Silophant]

I've only ever been to Rock Bottom before or after State or Orpheum shows. I think you're probably right.

[MNdible]

Anecdotally, I know that Rock Bottom is a popular happy hour destination for workers in La Salle Plaza. There aren't a lot of "regular" bars in that part of downtown.

[mnmike]

Similar ideas that do well downtown are Capitol Grille, Rock Bottom, Mc Cormick and Schmick, Ruth's Chris...

With the exception of Rock Bottom (honestly, not sure why they make it), these are expense account places that make their money off of downtown business customers (see also Manny's).

That crowd is not going to the Cheesecake Factory. So who is going to drive past the one in their local mall to go to the one downtown (but see Melting Pot)?

Anyway, I'm no expert, but downmarket chain does not seem like the way to go downtown.

Edited because bad at typing.

Cheesecake factory is not a regular "downmarket chain"...Very strong brand...I have never seen one dead, and they don't have too many locations. Are people from the 3/4 of the metro that are closer to downtown than Edina going to drive downtown go to to one? Sure. Or families before shows? Or anyone staying downtown that likes the brand? Anyway, Just sayin, I think they would do just fine. Their model pretty well works in any downtown. Now if we had like 5 locations already, then no...but they don't build like that. They are not Olive Garden, Red Lobster, or even PF Changs.

Rock Bottom does just fine...very busy happy hours and weekend dinners. It's a place you usually only see one of per market, and a go to for lots of people traveling and Happy Hour....and pretty cheap.

PS, not sure why I feel such a need to defend Cheesecake Factory, I am not obsessed:) I think its a decent chain though. I do like cheesecake:)

[TroyGBiv]

Anecdotally, I know that Rock Bottom is a popular happy hour destination for workers in La Salle Plaza. There aren't a lot of "regular" bars in that part of downtown.

The Saloon is 'regular'.... just a bunch of cowboys looking to quench their thirst, pardner! Yee Haw!

[QuietBlue]

Anecdotally, I know that Rock Bottom is a popular happy hour destination for workers in La Salle Plaza. There aren't a lot of "regular" bars in that part of downtown.

It was somewhat popular with Target HQ employees as well when I worked there, partially because it tended to be less busy than the bars along the Mall.

[SixOneTwo]

I work in LaSalle Plaza. Rock Bottom gets a ton of business from Target Center and Target Field events, as well as the theaters. It seems as though most of their business comes from out-of-towners but they have a solid happy hour crowd from surrounding businesses too. Anything beats Crave (everyone still misses Palomino).

[Didier]

Kind of confused as to why people here are confused that a casual brew pub is viable downtown.

[VAStationDude]

Yes. The food, while still not good, has gotten better. Some of the special release brews are excellent. I used to go there a lot when my wife and both lived off the 6.

[amiller92]

It's not confusion as to why the format could work. It's confusion that the place doesn't often seem to be all that busy. I guess it's just busy enough, but I used to live 5 blocks from it and would pass it fairly regularly when there weren't many people there.

[Silophant]

This will open in September, says the signage inexplicably posted only in the skyway, not anywhere on the street.

[mnmike]

Well it does say "fall" on the outside.

[mnmike]

A bit of inside info on this from the hotel management world....most of the top management jobs have now been hired, but I guess the rest of the positions should be posted by June, with a soft opening date still set for early Sept. Of more interest to folks on here...management is courting Giordano's for the restaurant space on Hennepin. I guess that would be a good fit, and management has taken note that downtown does lack pizza places somewhat.

[MNdible]

Don't let the Vikings hear that somebody's going to be serving Chicago style pizza in downtown Minneapolis.

[Didier]

"Source: Lester Bagley demands it be a Sven and Oles."