Minneapolis, MN
North Loop restaurant sends urgent plea to customers to come back to downtown Minneapolis
In a popular night spot like Minneapolis’ North Loop, it may come as a surprise to learn there are struggling restaurants there, but the owners of Dario said that is their new reality.
For two years, Dario has been serving up homemade pasta and cocktails.
“We’re not going to last much longer, nor are any of the other places you like to frequent, if we don’t get out here and try to experience these places,” said Stephen Rowe, Dario’s co-owner and beverage director.
Rowe and Executive Chef Joe Rolle recently sent a message to those on the restaurant’s e-mail list, writing that the recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement surge, combined with a challenging winter season, has caused a nosedive in reservations. They’re asking for customers to come back downtown.
“Like everybody else who owns a business around here and in the city, it’s just kind of like a gut punch,” said Rowe.
Customers, in particular from the suburbs, haven’t been coming in as much, Rolle said.
“They see a lot of things online, they see things on TV,” said Rowe.
“No one thought that North Loop was really affected, but we were,” said Mary Binkley, president of the North Loop Neighborhood Association.
Binkley said the past few months have been tough for North Loop restaurants.
“January and February were certainly heavy and that’s because people were spending their restaurant dollars elsewhere, in immigrant-owned restaurants, restaurants in neighborhoods where there was more ICE activity,” said Binkley.
Recently, foot traffic has been steadily improving in the neighborhood, Binkley said. With St. Patrick’s Day and Minnesota Twins games right around the corner, she said she is confident people will return.
“This is a place in a two-block radius where a lot of everyone’s favorite restaurants are,” said Binkley.
Dario’s owners said they have been forced to cut back on hours and shifts for employees. Meanwhile, they’ve launched lunch service on Thursdays and catering with the hopes of boosting business and saving the jobs of their 80 employees.
“A restaurant can take, you know, one or two bad weeks, but we’ve all had eight bad weeks in a row, so we’ve got a lot of digging out to do,” said Rolle.
Minneapolis police said a 69-year-old man was found dead after a shooting inside a north Minneapolis home. Chief O’Hara said Wednesday, officers responded at about 8:48 p.m. to a report of a shooting and found the man inside a residence on Bryant Avenue North, near 48th Ave. North
Police said he had an apparent fatal gunshot wound. Officers secured the scene and canvassed the area.
Police said homicide investigators are working to determine what led up to the shooting and, at this point, it does not appear random. “This is a tragic loss of life,” said Chief O’Hara. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and loved ones. We need anyone who may have information about what happened to come forward.”
Anyone with information can email policetips@minneapolismn.gov or call 612-673-5845 to leave a voicemail. People who want to stay anonymous can contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org. Police said tips leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a financial reward.
Eight-time Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves will return to the metro Sept. 22 to headline Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. May 8 through Axs. American Express card holders have access to a presale starting at 10 a.m. May 5.
A Texas native, Musgraves spent years trying to establish herself, self-releasing several albums and competing on the long-forgotten “Nashville Star” in 2007. In 2012, she finally landed a deal with Mercury Nashville and hit the road with Lady Antebellum. Her 2013 major-label debut, “Same Trailer Different Park,” earned rave reviews and adoring fans thanks to Musgraves’ likable singles, including her breakthrough “Follow Your Arrow,” the rare country hit about tolerance.
Her second album, 2015’s “Pageant Material,” covered similar territory, but Musgraves took a bold move toward pop music with 2018’s widely acclaimed “Golden Hour.” It went on to win all four of its nominated categories at the Grammy Awards, including album of the year and best country album.
In 2021, Musgraves released “Star-Crossed,” which examined her painful divorce from fellow country singer Ruston Kelly. She opened her first arena tour at the former Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul the following year. “I Remember Everything,” her 2023 duet with Zach Bryan, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1, making it the first country duet to do so since “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.
On Friday, Musgraves will issue “Middle of Nowhere,” an album that finds her “leaning intentionally into open space and traditional western elements, and as always, earnestly examining the human experience.”
It features collaborations with Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings and Gregory Alan Isakov. She has invited three Texas mariachi brothers who were recently detained and released by ICE to open for her this weekend at a series of shows in her home state.
Minneapolis apartment plagued by rowdy teens
Tenants at a Minneapolis apartment complex say they’re fed up with rowdy teenagers partying in and hanging around their building. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni explains the nuisance.
(FOX 9) – Residents in the Uptown neighborhood said they are frustrated and scared after a group of teenagers broke into their apartment building and caused chaos over the weekend.
Tenants describe chaotic scene at Uptown apartment complex
What we know:
Tenants at The Venue on Knox Apartments said a group of teenagers broke through the front door late Saturday night and got inside the building.
“They smashed the front of the building. The entire door was smashed,” said a tenant, who did not want to share his name. “As soon as I saw that was happening, I got out of there.”
Once inside, tenants said the teenagers threw a loud party on the roof.
“Very loud parties. I hear them at night. They have emcees. They’re shouting, barking orders,” the tenant recounted. “I didn’t know where that was coming from. The fact that it was on the rooftop, and I’m on the second floor, like that I could hear it, just shows it’s really out of hand.”
Police said someone pulled the fire alarm, forcing everyone outside in the middle of the night.
After that, a tenant said he was attacked by a group of at least 10 teenagers, causing injuries to his head, arms and body.
City leader, police respond to concerns
Local perspective:
In a statement on Tuesday, City Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer referred to the teenagers as “urban explorers” and said they are trespassing and causing problems in Uptown.
“There have been these cases of ‘urban explorers’ who scale to rooftop patios, are trespassing and creating havoc… Authorities are working together to put in place some strategies to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she said.
Police said they documented the property damage, but have not made any arrests.
The chaos that unfolded over the weekend came just days after city leaders announced new plans to address crime in the Uptown neighborhood.
Tenants said apartment management has not addressed the incident.
“They haven’t sent us a single email. I thought there would be emails. I thought there would be phone calls to us. They’ve been completely unresponsive,” said a tenant.
Apartment management did not respond to a request for comment.
-
San Francisco, CA2 minutes agoSan Francisco bar hosts immersive
-
Dallas, TX8 minutes agoDallas Captain Jamie Benn Fined By NHL For Cross-Checking
-
Miami, FL14 minutes agoNonstop flights from U.S. to Venezuela resume Thursday at Miami International Airport for first time in seven years
-
Boston, MA20 minutes agoBello's continued struggles compound Boston's thin rotation
-
Denver, CO26 minutes agoTroubled apartments: Breaking down Denver’s distressed multifamily properties
-
Seattle, WA32 minutes agoStatus of Seattle Mariners’ Brendan Donovan, Bryce Miller – Seattle Sports
-
San Diego, CA38 minutes agoSan Diego mail carriers to lead food drive on May 9
-
Milwaukee, WI44 minutes agoThings to do in Milwaukee this weekend, including Maifest at Estabrook