A Minneapolis restaurant owner criticized the state’s “endless mandates” and “unchecked crime” in announcing the closure of his business Monday.
Wild Greg’s Saloon owner Greg Urban said he is closing his Minneapolis location “effective immediately” but will continue to operate in Pensacola and Lakeland, Fla., and Austin, Texas.
“For 2 and a half years we have fought through endless mandates and lockdowns issued by Gov. Tim Walz, as well as riots and rampant unchecked crime. We made the tough decision that the road to a prosperous Minneapolis was longer than we had hoped and that closing this location was in our best interest,” Urban said in a press release.
Restaurant reservations were down 54% in Minneapolis last month compared to July 2019, according to data from OpenTable.
Change in Restaurant Reservations: July 2022 vs. pre-pandemic (July 2019)
🔻Minneapolis -54.3%
🔻San Francisco -45.9%
🔻Portland -45.2%
🔻Seattle -40.8%
🔻NYC -37.9%
🔻DC -27.3%
🔻Chicago -22.8%FLORIDA:
🔺Fort Lauderdale +34.0%
🔺Miami +32.8%
🔺Naples +25.4%
🔺Tampa +22.3%— Florida Research (@FlaResearch) August 21, 2022
Urban was involved in a lawsuit earlier this year against the city’s vaccine mandate for bars and restaurants.
“Minneapolis bars and restaurants are being used as pawns to further Mayor Frey’s agenda of pushing for and convincing the public to get vaccinated,” the lawsuit said.
That lawsuit was dropped after Minneapolis and St. Paul rescinded their vaccine-or-test requirements.
Urban joined Fox News Tuesday morning to discuss his decision.
“Minneapolis is not the place to be right now, unfortunately,” he said. “People are scared to go out of the suburbs and come downtown.”
He said people are flocking to Florida because of its “great business climate.” Urban said “business is booming” at his Florida and Texas locations, but he “hasn’t turned a profit since February 2020” in Minneapolis.
“Downtown is a ghost town,” he said. “It’s nothing like its former self.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
