Photo by TJ Turner
It’s been a rough stretch for one of the Twin Cities’ most acclaimed chefs and her employees. Ann Kim closed Kim’s in August 2024 after a 65% of employees voted to form a union. They never reached a contract, and Kim was accused of “union busting” for closing the restaurant rather than negotiating.
The chef, made internationally famous for her “f*** fear” speech when she was named Best Chef: Midwest at the 2019 James Beard Awards, announced she was closing acclaimed pizza restaurant Young Joni yesterday—the day of the 2025 James Beard Awards. Her company, Vestalia Hospitality, was sued by the landlord of their Northeast Minneapolis building for unpaid rent accrued during a dispute over a lease renewal on Monday, June 9— and one week later, Young Joni announces it’s closing in mid-September.
In a statement, the company simply said they “were unable to come to terms on a lease renewal agreement for Young Joni, and will be closing effective Sept. 14, 2025.” In the statement, Kim said: “Young Joni has been delivering exceptional food and hospitality for nearly a decade and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created… It’s my hope that the contributions we’ve made will continue to have a positive and lasting impact on the vibrancy and life of the neighborhood,” she said.
The design of the restaurant won accolades and it is astonishing to think the landlord and Vestalia couldn’t come to terms. When they opened in 2016, it was an underutilized part of town. The building is owned by a local company, Lander Group, which filed the aforementioned lawsuit against Kim last week, alleging that Young Joni owes back rent after stalled negotiations on a lease renewal (as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune and Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal).
The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that “according to the suit, the restaurant and landlord entered into a 10-year lease in 2014 with the option to renew as long as both parties agreed to a new market-rate base rent. In 2024, the suit says, the landlord suggested between $30 and $36 per square foot and Young Joni countered at $18.”
In a prepared statement, Michael Lander, principal of Lander Group, said the following:
“In good faith, we pursued a lease renewal by commissioning an independent third-party commercial real estate appraiser to determine fair market rent. We also proposed alternative structures—including a percentage-based rent model—to address cost concerns and support a sustainable path forward. Despite nearly a year of attempted negotiations, Young Joni’s ownership declined to engage in discussions and did not meet certain obligations under the original lease, including terms related to post-lease occupancy and deferred rent from the COVID period. Since the lease expired, Young Joni has continued to operate under the month-to-month terms defined in the original agreement, which includes standard holdover provisions. We initiated legal proceedings to enforce these terms.”
The statement also notes that Lander Group “remains committed to fostering a vibrant and successful Northeast Minneapolis community,” and “will continue working with businesses that are invested in long-term Northeast Minneapolis growth.”
Vestalia owns the building where Kim’s was located in Uptown, and it would be interesting if Young Joni tried to relocate there. We reached out to Kim and her company to see if they are considering relocating Young Joni, or if they’re simply done.
Kim and her husband, Conrad Leifur, have likely had considerable financial success with Pizzeria Lola and Hello Pizza. Kim has had a consulting chef arrangement with the Omni Vikings Lake Hotel in Eagan and recently announced a new deal with Target for her name on Good & Gather frozen pizzas at the retailer. Perhaps this is just the end of a chapter. Also, September is far away, and perhaps a deal can be forged.
Photo by Eliesa Johnson of the Restaurant Project
Today, that NE Minneapolis intersection is hot: Oro by Nixta is across the street, Vinai is at the corner, and Stargazer is right there as well, with Minari up the street. None of that was there when Young Joni opened—there’s no question Kim, Leifur, and Young Joni reinvigorated that part of town. Pizzeria Lola and Hello Pizza will remain open. It’s shocking, and sad, that the landlord and Vestalia couldn’t work things out.
