Uptown Retail & Restaurant News

[LakeCharles]

I wonder how long those fast fashion chains will be around. Getting someone like Topman to sign a 10 year lease seems like we could easily end up with a vacant building in 5 years.

But maybe I'm just out of touch.

[NickP]

If Uniqlo happened I would be super excited

[VacantLuxuries]

I wonder how long those fast fashion chains will be around.

It would give the HERC more to do. /s

[amiller92]

Uniqlo and Topman

Get off my lawn (i.e., I'm old so I don't know what those are)!

[colink]

AmazonGo perhaps?

[LakeCharles]

I wonder how long those fast fashion chains will be around. Getting someone like Topman to sign a 10 year lease seems like we could easily end up with a vacant building in 5 years.

But maybe I'm just out of touch.

Case in point: H&M just announced their third quarter earnings, and they are down over 20%! They will also be closing 170 stores (not the Uptown one, yet).

[xandrex]

Not Uptown, but we don't have a LynLake thread.

I was driving on Lyndale last night and it seems that an Anytime Fitness is going into the Lime apartment building based on the enormous signage out front. Nice to see that retail spot fill in.

[seanrichardryan]

Bar Louie has closed- https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... ml?ana=twt

[minntransplant]

Bar Louie has closed- https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/ ... ml?ana=twt

I'm surprised. It always seemed busy, especially during patio season. Great opportunity for someone else ...

[buzz]

I heard that Culver's will be going in to the Dulono's space at 607 West Lake. Can anyone confirm this?

[PhilmerPhil]

It seems really unlikely. Being in the pedestrian oriented overlay, not only drive thrus, but also fast food are banned. But gosh be darn, I would love to have a Culver’s in walking distance.

[Minnehahaha]

A ban on drive thrus seems pretty clear cut... but fast food? How is fast food even defined for such an ordinance?
I love having a Culver's in the Midway... it was the best recent addition to the neighborhood until the stadium came along.

[thatchio]

Per 520.160 - definitions:

Restaurant, fast food. An establishment whose design or principal method of operation includes five (5) or more of the following characteristics. In addition, any restaurant with a drive-through facility shall be considered a fast food restaurant.

(1) A permanent menu board is provided from which to select and order food. (2) Customers pay for food before consuming it. (3) A self-service condiment bar is provided. (4) Trash receptacles are provided for self-service bussing. (5) Furnishing plan indicates hard finished stationary seating arrangement. (6) Most main course food items are substantially prepared or cooked on premises and packaged in individual, nonreusable containers

With the above, I think they'd meet the definition without making changes to their business model.

[EOst]

If they really wanted, it probably wouldn't be hard to skirt 3 and 5 to avoid falling under the ban.

[Silophant]

Yeah, having condiments at the tables and, I guess, cushioned chairs instead of hard booths should be doable. Additionally, since their standard business model already includes servers bringing customer's food out to their tables, it wouldn't be too hard to remove the garbage cans and have them bus tables too, like Noodles and Co.

[thatchio]

Some of their restaurants, like the Richfield one, includes movable chairs. The only stationary seating are the booths.

[BoredAgain]

Why does our code ban fast food restaurants? I understand (and approve of) banning drive-throughs, but pedestrians need to eat quickly too.

[xandrex]

Yeah, I actually really hate that our pedestrian overlay districts ban fast food. It just comes off as the worst sort of progressive "we know what's best for you." It's not like fast food needs a drive-thru (which is a legitimate thing to ban). I assume it also will prevent more than a few fast food places in emerging, walkable nodes from redeveloping.

[mamundsen]

Case in point... most skyway food joints easily meet 4/6 of the items above. Depending on their furniture and packaging they could have 5 or all 6. I consider most to be fast casual, not fast food.

[xandrex]

Another Not-Uptown-But-We-Don't-Have-A-LynLake-Business update:

Heyday is closing. Two new restaurants showing up in its place. http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/he ... /483351921