City Council - Regular Meeting

Two vacant restaurant spaces at 50th and France are getting new life with help from the Dinah Housing and Redevelopment Authority. The general sports bar will transform the former salute space into a hockey-themed sports bar and grill. HRA funding will help improve accessibility by replacing the rear loading dock with a new entrance ramp, upgrading the patio, and adding an accessible route to the lower level game room.

Yeah, sparks came in clutch towards the end of our project. The staff's getting trained up as we speak and we're looking to go live after Labor Day and we could not be more excited.

On 50th Street, Smith Coffee and Cafe will renovate the former D'Amico & Sons space into a neighborhood coffee shop and cafe. Grant funding will help modernize the building's plumbing, electrical, and ceiling systems to support the new restaurant.

It's a great space, but it needs 30 years of modernization and upkeep and these projects can get expensive and so every dollar that we can use to kind of modernize and get things up to date will make the cafe a better spot for the public to come.

Construction on both projects is expected to wrap up before the end of the year, with grant funds reimbursed after the work is complete.

We created a streamlined grant program to specifically focus on small businesses that are encountering big hurdles. And in these cases, we had two well-loved restaurants that closed when their leases expired. and their spaces are well-worn. They need a lot of work to come up with a new generation. So these two grants will help two new restaurant operators get back in the business to open two new restaurants for the Edina community. We're excited to see them open.