RIP to the Cooper Burger, effective Aug. 24, as Stepchld owner Kamal Mohamed announced the closure of his tiny full-service restaurant across from Surdyk’s in Northeast Minneapolis. It was one of our Top 75 Restaurants on the Minnesota Monthly leaderboard, and we gave it a rave review when it opened in 2021.
With just 38 seats and beautiful murals and greenery, Stepchld always reminded me of a New York City restaurant. Unfortunately, many things have changed since the doors opened, including a reduction in late night dining and a massive increase in the cost of just about every part of running a restaurant.
Courtesy of Stepchld
“This difficult decision comes after careful consideration of various factors, including the evolving restaurant landscape and the challenges of sustaining a full-service model in our current space,” Mohamed said in a statement.
Small restaurants can work but it’s difficult to be full-service, paying full wages, and keeping your price points at a neighborhood-friendly spot. The most expensive thing on the menu is Lavender Nori Shrimp at $24, and if you turn the tables just twice, only serving 78 people, you’re not really bringing in enough revenue to be sustainable. At the same time, Mohamed’s counter-service, clean-eating spot Parcelle is continuing to grow and succeed just down the street.
The team has known this was coming, so today’s announcement isn’t a surprise to them. “We are committed to closing in a way that best supports our team and our guests, and we hope to share some final moments of celebration with you in the weeks ahead,” Mohamed said in the statement.
The closure doesn’t affect WildChld, the cocktail bar that just underwent a grand re-opening in late April with the other owners taking full operational control. Mohamed will continue to work with that team on the food menu, he told me.
I do appreciate that more and more restaurant owners are giving their fans the chance to come back one more time and say goodbye instead of just closing immediately. Tim Niver set the standard with the long goodbye to Saint Dinette, but we’ve seen more of this—it feels right for the guests, and especially for the staff. Book a reservation now to make sure you can get in before doors close.
