Tastes of Chicago travel North to new Glenwood Avenue eatery
Sliders and tots to the right alongside a Maxwell Street Polish sausage and onion rings. Photo by David Pierini
By David Pierini, Editor
Counting the number of North Minneapolis residents who are Chicago transplants or have strong enough ties to make the Windy City feel like a second home would be impossible.
So, when a new restaurant offers tastes of Sweet Home Chicago on its menu, they best be served with certain bonafides.
Minne’s, 1825 Glenwood Ave., had an official grand opening on May 4, inviting residents to “Come Slide with Us.” Chicago native Cordell Richardson wanted to play off the name of his newish state of residence and to the size of the tasty top-hat sliders served with fries or tots.
But two other menu items will pique the interest of those who boast Big Shoulders. Minne’s offers Maxwell Street Polishes (short for Polish sausage) and Chicago Hot Dogs (step away from the ketchup!).
So, did Richardson get the Chicago classics right?
“He got it right,” said Ray Walker, a Chicago native. “The onions are right; the snap of the Polish is right. Peppers, mustard, no ketchup. Simple. I’m used to the original Maxwell on Roosevelt Avenue, so having a Maxwell Polish outside of that area...This is it.”
Minne’s, which started as a food truck and is located in a part of the city lacking sit-down restaurants, is the second Northside food truck to open a brick-and-mortar location this year. In April, the owners of the Food Bank opened an eatery on Lyndale Avenue.
Richardson had a dream but no specific plan to open a restaurant. His career in food was going well with the food truck and a 15-year career in food services for Hy-Vee.
Cordell Richardson, right, chats with customers during the grand opening at Minne’s. Photo by David Pierini
Living nearby on Morgan Avenue, Richardson routinely drove by the vacant spot, once the home of Wendy’s House of Soul. But one day, he took notice and got in touch with the building owner. With a full kitchen, he discovered it was pretty much turn-key ready.
“By the powers of God, He put me in the right place at the right moment,” Richardson said.
Restaurants have not lasted in this spot for a range of reasons, but Richardson felt he had enough experience to make his first restaurant successful.
He grew up with a mother who worked retail and often brought him to work. He grew up understanding the importance of connecting with customers.
Richardson was living in Iowa when he began making pizzas for Hy-Vee. The food court director saw in Richardson someone who took care of small details, worked quickly and efficiently, and was naturally comfortable around people.
He offered to train him, and before long, Hy-Vee asked Richardson to move to Minnesota to oversee the food court at the Hy-Vee store in Eagan. The man who trained him remains his mentor.
“This is what changed the trajectory of my life,” Richardson said. “When I got there, he showed me the ropes. I had the customer service part down, just with my personality. But he showed me the service side. His motto was, ‘Plan your work, work your plan.’ He said it every day and that stuck with me.”
Minne’s quietly opened at the beginning of the year and has steadily built a base of regulars.
On a recent afternoon, at the beginning of the dinner hour, Richardson said “Welcome” to a woman coming in for a to-go order. She quickly corrected him. “I’m back,” she said.
Family, friends of Cordell Richardson and neighborhood customers celebrated the grand opening.Photo by David Pierini
The menu is small, though Richardson likes to add specials, like chicken sliders recently. Customers worried about gluten can order bowls consisting of meat sans bun on top of fries or tots.
Richardson, true to his Hy-Vee training, has his kitchen set up so that everything is close.
He insists every item takes seven minutes to prepare and in the days before opening, he timed his cooks and adjusted grill settings to achieve this. He still works at Hy-Vee but is at the restaurant most evenings to close.
A pay-it-forward board is near the cash register on which receipts are tacked. Customers purchase extra items so that someone hungry and without a way to pay can grab one of the receipts, present it, and eat.
“This helps me feed the neighborhoods and offers others a chance to partake in a random act of kindness,” Richardson said. “We want to make sure everybody has the same luxuries. We turn no one away. That’s just how I was brought up.”