Bad timing, no parking, too much competition? Hard to know what did in North Loop Galley, which will serve its final meals on Saturday, May 10. CEO Chad Ellingboe pointed to COVID-19 as a factor as well.
Courtesy of North Loop Galley
“When we opened in December of 2019, we saw some immediate success and were riding that high as we approached spring of 2020, but as we all know things took a turn for the worst,” he told me. “The Galley was a great starting point for our friends at Wrecktangle Pizza and Ono Hawaiian Plates, who both used the opportunity to build a following and grow their footprint throughout the city!”
No doubt, North Loop Galley has been an incubator for both concepts. Wrecktangle expanded to a brick-and-mortar in Lyn-Lake and a spot in The Market at Malcolm Yards. Ono has a location in Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood.
The closure means an end to the road, at least for now, for Ramen Kawae, the new Japanese concept from Chef Tuan Hoang, and Good Boy, the “eclectic American restaurant.”
Five years in the hyper-competitive North Loop is nothing to sneeze at, but for me, there always was a bit of a disconnect in this space. Not as trendy or as buzzy as The Maket at Malcolm Yards, not as party-vibe as Graze Food Hall. “We are excited to give our loyal supporters another opportunity over the next 10 days to say hi one last time, enjoy one more bowl of Ramen, one more Musabi, one more Shredder, and of course, one more happy hour with the Galley Boys behind the bar!” said Ellingboe.
