Twin Cities Restaurants Say They'll Need Huge St. Patrick's Boost To Stay Afloat
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- Twin Cities restaurants say they'll need the luck of the Irish this weekend, and beyond, to help give their businesses a boost.
New figures show Minnesota's hospitality and tourism industry lost more than $15 billion in revenue over the last two years.
It's down 32,000 workers from before the pandemic too.
Ben Wogsland, the executive vice president of Hospitality Minnesota, says holidays like St. Patrick's Day are important drivers of business.
In St. Paul, Meredith O'Toole says Thursday could be one of the biggest days for her dive bar, The Spot, in two years.
St. Patrick's Day 2020 is when Gov. Tim Walz ordered restaurants to stop dine-in service.
It's a day O'Toole and other Irish pub owners remember well.
Pat Boemer, the owner of Patrick McGovern's in St. Paul, is expecting a mirror image of that Thursday.
"We'll fill the tent in the parking lot and inside here," Boemer said. "We've got a lot of square footage so we can put a lot of bodies in here."
"We have a lot of people who make The Spot their stop on St. Patrick's Day and they may not come any other day of the year, but this is where they come back and meet old friends," O'Toole said.
O'Toole credits her loyal employees and customers for The Spot's survival through the pandemic.
"Business is back at a pretty good clip," Boemer said. "I'd say we're probably at 90 percent right now."
But two thirds of Minnesota restaurants have taken on debt during the pandemic, owing more than $500,000 on average, according to Hospitality Minnesota.
"These businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and our Minnesota way of life, so we've really got to support this industry and help it get back on its feet," Wogsland said.
