Red River Kitchen — a food truck operation led by the team behind Republic and Bar Brigade — is opening its first brick-and-mortar operation in Edina.
Red River Kitchen is taking over the former Tin Fish space at Braemar Golf Course, located at 6364 John Harris Drive. The Edina City Council approved the partnership Tuesday night. Red River Kitchen will start operations at the city-owned course this summer, owner Matty O'Reilly said.
"This thing is going to be a great fit for the golf course, but also bigger than the golf course," O'Reilly said, pointing to a lack of restaurants near the clubhouse. "To be a part of that in a city like Edina, we’re just so lucky."
The Braemar Golf Course restaurant space is over 7,100-square-feet with a dining room, multiple patio spaces, a 200-seat banquet room and on-course food and drink cart service. O'Reilly intends to leverage his Republic connections to serve as many local beers as possible at the golf course.
O'Reilly, who partners with Chef JD Fratzke, also operates Republic, Delicata, Bar Brigade and the recently opened Spring Cafe at Como Park Pavillion in St. Paul.
Red River Kitchen — which has a roaming food truck as well as food truck stands at City House in St. Paul and Sociable Ciderworks in Minneapolis — features tacos, burgers, sandwiches, jambalaya and seafood bowls on its menu. The Edina Red River Kitchen will have a larger menu with more burgers, salads and grab-and-go options, crafted by Fratzke.
"This is our first Red River brick-and-motor location and our first-time year-round space. We’re very limited to what we can do with truck," he said.
O'Reilly intends to park a Red River Kitchen food truck at the golf course in the short term while he prepares the restaurant inside the clubhouse, which should be up and running later in the summer. The restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner during the golf season and will have more limited lunch and dinner hours in the winter.
Red River Kitchen will have a five-year lease at the space, starting June 1. Its base rent to the city will be 12.5 percent of gross sales during peak months and 10.5 percent of sales during off-peak months, according to city documents.
Edina selected Red River Kitchen over three other applicants for the space: Lancer Hospitality (which runs dining at venues like the Minnesota Zoo), Cherokee Tavern in West St. Paul and Oak 19, which runs concessions at Chaska Town Course.
Edina kicked off a search for a new eatery to fill the Tin Fish space in December. The restaurant closed its space in the clubhouse in early October.
Braemar is currently renovating its 18-hole course this year. Its driving range and par three course remain open with the main course is set to reopen in 2019.
Patio seats available
| Rank | Prior Rank | Name |
|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Lord Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge |
2 | 2 | The Freight House |
3 | 3 | Brit's Pub |
