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Red River Kitchen beat out three other contenders for restaurant space at the Braemar Golf Course in Edina, MN. The food truck will soon open a bricks-and-mortar location at the course, which sits just northeast of the junction between Highway 169 and Interstate 494.
Red River Kitchen is one of five restaurant brands founded by Matty O’Reilly, who is now partners with well-known chef J.D. Fratzke. His holdings started with Republic, a beer hall-and-restaurant on the University of Minnesota’s West Bank in Minneapolis. They now include three restaurants and an events center in St. Paul – Delicata, Bar Brigade, Spring Café and City House – as well as a second Republic location in Terminal 1 at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
O’Reilly and the city of Edina are in the process of finalizing a lease for 7,161 square feet of the 24,298-square-foot clubhouse at 6364 John Harris Dr. The restaurant there was operated by another company, Tin Fish, from 2014 to late 2017.
The city sent out a request for proposals in December and reviewed responses over February. The committee charged with vetting the proposals chose Red River unanimously.
“We’re trying to give [Braemar] a newer feeling and more excitement,” said Joe Abood, general manager of Braemar Golf Course. “O’Reilly is one of the most respected restaurateurs in the Twin Cities and his proposal really matched our vision of how the course will be.”
Abood said the other suitors were: Oak 19, which runs the restaurant and concessions at the Chaska Town Course; Cherokee Tavern of West St. Paul; and Mendota Heights-based Lancer Hospitality and Catering, which does food service at Edinburgh USA, the Minnesota Zoo and the Science Museum of Minnesota, among others.
The five-year lease agreement with Red River is scheduled to go before the Edina City Council this Tuesday. The agreement runs from June 1 of this year through May 31, 2023, with two options to renew at the same terms.
Red River Kitchen at Braemar will pay a base rent of 12.5 percent of gross sales during peak months at the course, and 10.5 percent of gross sales during the off season, plus $2,000 a month for common area maintenance (CAM) charges.
The golf course is in the midst of a sweeping makeover and is currently under construction. If all goes well, the course’s turf will be reestablished by summer 2019, Abood said. Until it is fully operational, Red River’s rent will be reduced to 6 percent of gross sales, plus $1,000 a month in CAM charges.
O’Reilly could not be reached for comment.
