What is your perception of eating in downtown Minneapolis restaurants? For the Big Restaurant Industry Check In last week, I asked if you felt safe eating indoors. Right now the question is: Do you feel safe eating in the city at all?
I've been sort of surprised by people saying they won't come downtown due to fears of crime. Mainly because in my own past few months' experience, eating sushi and burgers in restaurants, grabbing drinks and coffee on patios, I have had zero problems. I am not so short-sighted to believe that my own experiences are equal to bigger truths. I can report that one of my close friends had her car stolen in South Minneapolis and another has had two break-ins on her block. But I have also balked at people, some from outstate or other regions who aren't coming here anyway, who have responded to posts and pics with incredulity: "I would never go into that hellscape", "isn't everything boarded up or on fire?", "you will be carjacked the second you come to a red light." Those are actual ideas that people have about what is happening in downtown Minneapolis right now. (Spoiler alert: not currently on fire)
To say that frustrations are coming to a head, is an understatement. On Tuesday, a recently formed alliance of restaurant owners known as the Downtown Restaurant Group sent a public letter to Mayor Jacob Frey and the Minneapolis City Council.
In the letter (published in full below), the industry owners confirm what I said last week: we are at a turning point, right now. The city asked restaurants to completely change their business model to handle the virus and the majority did. Unfortunately, Mayor Frey chose to shut down bar seating in ALL establishments, instead of just closing/punishing the ones that were not compliant. That doesn't inspire trust.
" But this goes beyond COVID. There is no current plan of action, cure, or sense of “We’re all in this together” for the other worries plaguing downtown, specifically, the real and perceived rising rates of crime. "
These small businesses feel at odds with their leaders as they face the coming months and that does not bode well for what already promises to be a tough winter. Despite the fact that the Minneapolis Police Department stats show that crime in nearly all downtown neighborhoods is lower than last year, does that matter if the perception, they argue, is keeping long-time guests away: " ... the absence of communication and transparency about public safety plans creates even more fear, uncertainty and frustration."
I talked with Nancy and Dennis Monroe, who put this grassroots restaurant group together. Nancy is the Editor of Foodservice News and Dennis is a lawyer and restaurant owner. "It's really about the attitude that the city projects, that downtown is still solid," Dennis said on the phone, "Maybe it's more of a marketing piece than legislation right now, but the city has gotta come back. It might be 6 months to a year or more on COVID, but if the city is safe people will want to go back downtown."
More than anything, it seems that they want to open a real discussion about what's happening in the city, the good and the bad. Restaurant people are humans of action, they manage a million different variables a day in order to make their worlds work. Right now, they feel like there are no controls, no plans of action, no thought into what it will mean if the city doesn't pay attention to this small business crisis. "Restaurants are an important part of our city's tax base and culture," Monroe added, "we need to create a feeling of hope. Not just for us but for our employees, who come first. Our employees need people to come back, because they are your neighbors. We're all willing to work on this together, however it needs to get done. But we can't do it alone."
"We are asking you to stand up, take action, help us fight, and help us be part of the city’s future to make this city vibrant again before it’s too late."
As of this writing, late Wednesday night, the Downtown Restaurant Group had not had a response from the mayor's office.
Members of the concerned group include:
- Eastside
- Murray’s
- Borough and Parlour Bar
- PS Steak
- Spoon and Stable
- Smack Shack
- Demi
- Pizza Luce
- Union
- Crave
- Brit’s Pub
- The Dakota
- Mercury
- Sawatdee
- Zen Box
- Afro Deli
- Vellee Deli
- Hell’s Kitchen
- Fhima’s
- Angel Food Bakery
- Ruth’s Chris
- The Loon Café
- The Loop
- F+B (Minnesota Farmer’s Union and Birchwood Café)
- Mackenzie’s Pub
- Manny’s
- Barrio
- Black Sheep Pizza
- Shea, Inc.
- Freehouse
- 801 Chophouse
- Constantine
- O’Donovan’s
- Monello
Here is the letter in full:
Mayor Frey and Minneapolis City Council:
We are a group of more than 40 small-business owners and leaders in Downtown Minneapolis—the heart of your city—with a concentration in restaurants. And we are in a state of desolation.
It’s not just because of COVID. When it comes to this virus, businesses have built a weary resilience with a sense of optimism: There are plans to be followed, protective measures in place, and an eventual light at the end of the tunnel. The caveat is that we need you, the government, to help to get the people back downtown and to their offices (we’re looking at you, Governor Walz). We need you to allow dining at bars again, Mayor Frey, without penalizing the whole for the actions of the few, so that restaurants can choose how to weather this storm and come out in one—albeit damaged—piece.
But this goes beyond COVID. There is no current plan of action, cure, or sense of “We’re all in this together” for the other worries plaguing downtown, specifically, the real and perceived rising rates of crime.
Even those who refuse to let fear run their lives, even those who live in the city and have spent years feeling relatively safe despite the occasional incident, are turning away. The numbers speak for themselves, and the vibrations throughout Minneapolis can’t be ignored: Perception begets reality, and the strong feelings of unsafety in our downtown are very real. No matter which side of the “defund the police” debate you fall on, the absence of communication and transparency about public safety plans creates even more fear, uncertainty and frustration.
Our business are struggling. Some are failing; several have already closed. Many others have been boarded up for months, yet continue to be hit with rent and property taxes. Our patrons are paying entertainment and stadium taxes, even with no events or activity. We are still supporting the city, but the city is not supporting us. If this trend continues, a city can take decades of work and a major movement to recover. History has proven it, and we need to reverse course before we become a lost city.
It’s exciting and encouraging to see more companies signing leases downtown, but behind the scenes, a large number of businesses are considering or are already moving outside of the city. Losing us puts at risk the very infrastructure that energizes and makes an urban environment compelling. It’s becoming too easy to celebrate in the good news while turning a blind eye to the bad.
We are asking for acknowledgement from you of the Minneapolis crisis, and yes, it is a crisis. We are asking for practices that will encourage a return to business and a return to the downtown offices. We are asking for the city to do its job in the prevention of theft and destruction, with no tolerance for violence and assault. We are asking for support for the businesses that have long served as blocks in the city’s foundation—some even for decades.
We are asking you to stand up, take action, help us fight, and help us be part of the city’s future to make this city vibrant again before it’s too late. We need the people back, and we need to ensure their safety.
Please let us know your plan.
Group Description:
More than 40 downtown Minneapolis small-businesses, concentrating on restaurants. An alliance of businesses formed to create a collective voice, developing initiatives designed to make our city safer and help our operations survive.
Why:
Our employees and patrons feel unsafe in downtown Minneapolis. Crime has increased, and there is a general perception of lawlessness in the city’s core. COVID dealt small businesses a blow, but the downtown safety issues are just as formidable and, after stacking up for several years, have come to a head.
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