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Saturday, August 9, 2008
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BIZ BUZZ: Lodge takes over restaurant
Senior Reporter The Lodge Grill & Bar in Baxter recently celebrated its grand opening with new ownership and a new menu.
The Lodge Grill & Bar is housed in the restaurant space that formerly was home to Rockwoods. The restaurant building was always owned by The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes with Rockwoods leasing the space. When Rockwoods encountered financial difficulties, the Lodge took over the management of the restaurant in the spring.
Rockwoods entered Chapter 7 in June and a bankruptcy trustee took over the business ownership, releasing the lease and giving The Lodge access to the building. The Lodge bought Rockwoods' assets and is working on a deal with the equipment the former restaurant leased or is considering buying new items.
Joe McCurdy, general manager at The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes, said since the company owned the building it was fairly easy for them to come in and take the operation over. Staff was increased and the executive chef retained.
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The Lodge Grill & Bar opened in the space formerly occupied by Rockwoods. The restaurant is owned and operated by The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes just off Highway 371 North in Baxter. Brainerd Dispatch/Renee Richardson
» Purchase reprints of this photo.
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McCurdy said the restaurant has had more business and The Lodge is doing a better job of marketing to hotel guests and for events - with a single billing and sole management assisting with that process.
"I'm so proud of the people I work with," McCurdy said, noting he has been in the hotel business for 15 years and has never seen a restaurant turn around as quickly as this one has. "The staff here is just amazing. I'm just very impressed. They've done a fantastic job turning it over."
The restaurant has a bigger menu and McCurdy said prices are lower, especially on key items. He said a goal was to have a menu with good food that was more approachable while retaining the made-from-scratch focus.
Another menu move has created lighter fare and more vegetarian items such as a roasted red pepper tortelini. As for decor, the bar area now has more up-north memorabilia that creates a stronger visual tie to the hotel's theme.
And with the stress of the past behind, the new restaurant and staff are creating a different feel, McCurdy said.
"I think when you walk in you are going to sense in the air there is a different atmosphere," McCurdy said.
In other restaurant news, the former Sibley Station in Pequot Lakes will open with a new name and owners by the end of August.
Owners are Jerry and Jane Pollock and daughter, Jessica, and her husband, Richard Eide, and Angie Bahr. Jerry Pollock and Jessica Eide are part of a larger partnership in the Moonlite Bay restaurant in Crosslake. Jessica Eide manages Moonlite Bay. Jerry Pollock said he is retired but his children keep putting him back to work. He is an owner of the Anytime Fitness locations in Brainerd, Baxter and Little Falls.
Bahr, a native of Pine River, will be the resident manager. Richard Eide will be the general manager. The new restaurant will be called Mayson's Grille, which is the name of the Jessica and Richard Eide's daughter who is almost 2.
"It will be different than Sibley Station," Jerry Pollock said. "It won't be the same as Moonlite Bay, it will be between the two."
Fresh paint is expected to lighten the look and the menu with homemade soups and dressings will have American fare in a casual dining atmosphere.
"We'll try to cater to what the community wants," Pollock said.
The restaurant expects to employ about 25 people with 10 to 15 full-time jobs.
Pollock said with the experience of Moonlite Bay, they have the expertise to open the Pequot Lakes restaurant and keep it open.
"I think it will be a restaurant that will fit into Pequot Lakes very well and will be casual family dining and the menu will not be that drastically different than what was there before but will definitely have a different flare with the people involved."
A new Mexican restaurant is expected to open in Baxter in the space formerly occupied by Dave's Pizza in the FitQuest building (formerly Reed's), just off Highway 371 North. The plan is for affordable, authentic Mexican food in a family atmosphere.
Pedro Ynzuepa, an owner of the family run restaurant, said the restaurant will be named El Tequila. Originally from Mexico, Ynzuepa said they have been in the restaurant business for 14 years and have a restaurant in Alabama. They made a connection to Minnesota through friends and saw an opportunity here for authentic Mexican fare. They expect to hire about 10 people.
The restaurant is expected to open Oct. 1.
Unicel customers will be seeing a new name. Verizon Wireless recently announced it completed a purchase of Rural Cellular Corp. known as Unicel, for $2.66 billion in cash and assumed debt. For Verizon the purchase adds licenses covering markets including Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Wisconsin. Verizon reported the Unicel brand will continue to be in use for the next several months.
Customers can expect to receive a letter about the purchase and transition of service in the next few weeks.
"Virtually all Rural Cellular employees have received employment offers and have accepted them," Verizon reported. "During the network conversion period, nearly every Unicel-branded store will remain open to serve customers. Unicel will be re-branded as Verizon Wireless in phases ... beginning early in 2009 and continuing through mid-year."
Verizon reported the purchase will expand its network coverage to rural markets around the nation, increasing the company's customers by more than 625,000. Approvals from the Department of Justice and Federal Communications Commission are required before the purchase is complete.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone.
Steve & Barry's fate remains unknown. The Wall Street Journal reported unsecured creditors are objecting to a fast auction that is desired by the company's lenders. The newspaper reported Steve & Barry's is prepared to ask the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan Tuesday for approval for the auction with hopes of finding a buyer for the business, but bids from liquidators will be considered.
"The discount clothing retailer filed for bankruptcy on July 9 with plans to sell its assets within weeks," The Wall Street Journal reported. "Lenders, including GE Capital Corp., control the company's access to cash and are forcing it to sell by Aug. 15."
The Brainerd Lakes Area Welcome Center, south of Brainerd and Baxter on Highway 371, has had more than half a million visitors to the overall center and has served more than 170,000 customers since it opened on May 18, 2005.
The Welcome Center is a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber, Crow Wing County, DNR and the Minnesota State Patrol.
RENEE RICHARDSON, senior reporter, may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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