A press release from Don Saunders, chef and owner of Fugaise in northeast Minneapolis:
After 3 ½ years of operation, Fugaise Restaurant will cease doing business on Saturday, March 14.
Noted for its excellent French-inspired food and detailed service, the NE Minneapolis restaurant has been a favorite among locals since its inception in 2005. Although customer and critic feedback has always been fantastic, the restaurant has recently found it hard to survive financially.
“For various reasons, it is simply too difficult to justify continuing to operate given the financial picture at Fugaise,” said Chef/owner Don Saunders “From a financial standpoint, Fugaise was not a success. However, from a personal perspective, when I consider the working relationships and friendships built, the opportunity to be creative and do what I love to do, and the satisfied guests along the way, I view the experience as a success.”
Business will continue as usual at Fugaise from now until March 14. Guests can expect the same great food and service they have become accustomed to at Fugaise. “We decided to ‘announce’ this a month prior to the actual closing in order to give guests, both regulars and first-timers, a chance to come experience what we do here at Fugaise,” Saunders said.
This news stinks, but is in line with various reports indicating that this recession is beginning to bite into the dollars spent by those with income that can afford to eat regularly at higher price points.
It’s a loss for the dining scene, to be sure. Saunders is tremendously skilled, and was named to FSN’s top chef lists in 2004 when he was chef de cuisine at A Rebours in St. Paul and most recently in 2008 at our peer-nominated Top 25 in the state.
—Mike Mitchelson, editor, Foodservice News
This totally sucks. I took my staff of 15 people to dinner at Fugaise over the holidays - this restaurant is truly one of the unsung gems of Minneapolis. I hope someone snaps Don up before too long.
No! This just can’t happen. I think I am even more bummed out about Fugaise than I was about A Rebours (only because Fugaise is just across the bridge from our office). At least I’ll be able to get there again before the closing.
We had our wedding reception at Fugaise and it was nothing short of spectacular. As a regular visitor and a huge fan of Chef Don Saunders, I hope he finds another opportunity to shine in Minneapolis.
Such a disappointment. We just moved to the neighborhood one year ago and loved Fugaise - and The Times has closed also, as well as the Let’s Cook store. NE is in a decline - we must save it!
Don’t fret, Kathy. Gas-tro-nome, the project of chef Erick Harcey and GM Ben Hiza, Nicollet Island Inn vets, is coming to the NE neighborhood. Right in that Let’s Cook store, if I’m not mistaken.