This place changes its name more than Prince
Put another log on the fire — here’s the last installment of the Roseville Restaurant Trilogy. This time, it’s all about the restaurant formerly known as KFAN.
If you’re familiar with the Roseville area, you know that this restaurant location is cursed. It seems like every time you drive by this place, it has a new name. In only five years, this restaurant has changed ownership four times…that’s nearly once per year. It probably sets some sort of record or something.
Because of this location’s spotty tenant track record, one might think that the history of this restaurant would be a good premise for a future Stephan King novel. Why can’t anything can stay here very long? Surely it must be haunted! Perhaps it’s built on an ancient Indian burial ground?
I wish the KFAN/Big City/WhateverTheFuckIt’sCalled’s folklore were that exciting, but it isn’t. It’s simply a shitty location for a restaurant, that’s all. There’s no creepy ghost story and no need to call Scooby Doo to the scene. If you’re really that desperate for a spooky tale, fix yourself a bowl of BooBerry cereal and grab an Ecto-Cooler HiC juice box from the fridge, and skim through a FearStreet book. Then hop back on your computer and continue reading.
Originally, this was an Italian restaurant called “Lido’s”. Can’t say I ever ate there or even remember it. I believe that Lido’s was torn down sometime in 2003 and KFAN went up in its place.
Here’s the timeline:
KFAN the Restaurant: Opened in December 2003, closed in 2005.
Big City Tavern: Opened in September 2005, closed in July 2006.
Majors: Opened in September 2006, closed sometime in 2008.
Grumpy’s: Opened in 2008 – present. How long will this last? I could probably start a death pool on this and offer up a prize to the reader who correctly guesses its closing date, but that wouldn’t be very nice now, would it?
The KFAN Restaurant logo
In case you’re not familiar with Minnesota radio, KFAN is a supposed to be a sports talk radio station, but whenever I turn them on, they’re talking about politics. I suppose even the biggest sports nut has a limit on how much Brett Favre joining the Vikings speculation they can take per day. I don’t listen to the station much, but I know that last year, one of their big-time personalities was busted for crack and promptly fired. They also have some yahoo who calls himself a common man like it’s a good thing. Then again, in today’s world of everyone thinking they’re a special snowflake, someone who calls himself a “Common Man” is a little refreshing.
KFAN 1130 AM, like most radio stations in town, is owned by media giant Clear Channel communications. In the early ’00s, Clear Channel had a bright idea to launch a chain of sports bar style restaurants, but wanted to class it up by focusing more on food quality and decor rather than nailing a bunch of faux vintage sports memorabilia to the walls like most sports joints do.
KFAN the Restaurant was their pet project and Clear Channel’s foray into the restaurant business all hinged on its success. If it was a hit, Clear Channel planned to open 12 to 18 similar radio-themed restaurants around the country, using the namesake of popular local radio stations.
Unfortunately for Clear Channel, KFAN the Restaurant wasn’t a winner. The exact reason why KFAN closed is up for debate — a few articles alluded to restaurant management not being happy with Clear Channel’s rigid restrictions on how they ran the place. Location probably played a huge role in its failure as well. Despite it being located and easily
The entrance/exit to Grumpy's. I always wondered why they couldn't connect this road to Snelling Avenue. It'd make things a little bit easier
spotted on busy Snelling Avenue, it’s tough to figure out how to access this place. If you’re coming from North Snelling Avenue, you need to drive about a 1/2 mile past the restaurant, turn at the stoplight, and then take the service road alllll the way back, passing a strip mall, various ho-hum retail establishments, and a car dealership before turning into the cul-de-sac in which the restaurant resides. That’s just too damn much work to eat at what appears to be a generic sports bar. Meh, it’s easier just to sing for your supper….or just say fuck this bullshit, and head over to the area closer to Rosedale.
Speaking of which, this place is located too far away from the Roseville’s hotspot — the Rosedale Mall. Plenty of eating
and entertainment options surround the mall, and it’s no surprise that shoppers are more likely to eat at Granite City, Macaroni Grill, Flame, Good Earth, and so on, rather than try to navigate their way out to Snelling Avenue and try to figure out how to access this place. But hey, it’s located next to Midway Ford, so….?
Had KFAN the Restaurant succeeded, would we now have a KDWB the Restaurant? Imagine the possibilities! Gary Spivey readings! They could host Jingle Ball/Star Party/Last Chance Summer Dance (do they still do that?) in one of the basement banquet halls here! An expansive, 3-song playlist piped over the sound system: the latest Black Eyed Peas song, a rap song with a hook featuring T-Pain, and Baby Got Back! There could be ads on the bathroom stall doors peddling mangle mouth makeovers from Dr. Dave Hertelendy at All Care Dentistry, an ad for LASIK surgery from the good folks at North Suburban Eye Specialists, and Slim4Life ads (just the kind of propaganda you want to see when you’re taking at shit at a restaurant selling fried food).
Okay, so back to KFAN.
When you walk up to this place, the first thing you notice is the monumental, eye-catching entrance. Upon entering, you immediately feel like you’re under dressed — like you should be wearing a sports coat instead of wearing jeans and your Randall McDaniel jersey purchased in 1995. After looking around at the high ceilings, marble tiles, grand staircases, and mood lighting, you feel a bit confused — this supposed to be SPORTS bar, right? A sports bar for a radio station that calls its listeners “Rubes”? The luxurious backdrop of this place is a bit unexpected.
As you’ve probably figured out, this wasn’t just your typical, tired suburban sports bar. Sure, they had Golden Tee, pool tables, top 40 90′s alt rock music blaring on the sound system, (I remember going here one time when it was Big City Tavern and hearing The
Grumpy's offers outdoor dining
Wallflowers’ One Headlight 3 freakin’ times!), flat screens, and a plenty of slutty girls with bad highlights and 20-something men with beer guts wearing too-tight Affliction t-shirts.
This place is just too big — three levels too big. Only two areas are open to the dining public — the dining area and the bar area. The rest of the place includes several banquet halls and conference rooms, all of which I’ve never witnessed anyone using. At one point, when this place was Big City Tavern, the downstairs was going to be turned into a dinner theater. That would’ve been kind of cool.
There was a gift shop near the entrance hawking KFAN sweatshirts, beer kozies, keychains, Dan Barreiro autographed photos suitable for framing, and other various overpriced, screenprinted doodads featuring the station’s call letters. Never saw anyone buy any of this shit. They also held live radio broadcasts from the restaurant a few days a week, so you could do a meet ‘n greet with your favorite KFAN personality — just like you would at the state fair.
I only ate in the dining area once. I felt like I was missing out on all of the shenanigans happening over in the bar area. The dining room was quiet and peaceful, but that’s not really what I expected when I went here. It’s nice that they didn’t shove the sports down your throat like most places do, but really…it’s a sports bar, and, well, I kind of wanted to watch THE GAME and scream obscenities at TV sets. That’s why I chose a place named after a sports station. Even though the experience was pleasant, every time I’d go here after that, my party and I forgo the dining area and belly up to the bar and shoot some pool instead.
The food wasn’t too bad, but it couldn’t have been that memorable because I don’t really have anything to say about it. It was your typical American fare–burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, fried apps. You could even order “fancier” entrees like salmon and porterhouse steak. Prices were okay, perhaps a bit on the expensive side. I do remember ringing up quite the tab after spending a night of aggressive drinking here. Oops.
A view of the doomed diner
Despite all of its different lifeforms, this restaurant didn’t really seem to change. You really couldn’t distinguish whether it was KFAN/Big City/Majors when you walked in or even by looking at the menu. It all pretty much seemed the same. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or what.
Today, this place is Grumpy’s, suburban-style. Seems to be quite an odd location for a Grumpy’s , so we’ll see how long this will last. I haven’t eaten here myself since it was Majors, so here’s a local blogger’s review of it as Grumpy’s, complete with food pics and snapshots pics of the inside.
Any information to add? Any memories of this place? Post in the comments!
#1 by Beth on July 23rd, 2009
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I have only been here since it’s been Grumpy’s and I have to say – big menu, great beer selection, but horrible service! We are always forgotten, they never come back to check on you after you get your food, it’s crazy. Therefore, I imagine it’s only a matter of time before this place boards up and leaves town!
I remember when it was Lido’s, we used to go there when I was a kid, it was a pretty nice italian restaurant and it had a little italian shop inside ala Cossettas where you could buy sauces, pastas and other things like that. We usually went there for my dad’s birthday, which is in December, so I remember there always being a ton of Christmas lights there. That’s about all I got on that one though.
#2 by jayson on July 23rd, 2009
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i was just here on wed! this place is nice big inside and great place to watch the twins! the outside patio is very nice. this grumpys is the one that use to be in coon rapids on coon rapids blvd they moved out of the old location and turned into willys! i cant remember what grumpys was b-4 that!
as for the tear down of the old resturant i dont think that happen i think that is the same building as i can remember. i remember it being an itialian rest but never ate there. i know the building next door was room and board and now its dana furniture. and I know midway ford sucks lol…… where is the family center mall post been waiting for it.
sorry for the typeing im on my iphone and driving down main st as i type
#3 by Ally on July 23rd, 2009
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I love Grumpy’s!!! They have this really good appetizer called sausage pizza dip…it’s sausage, a small amount of sauce, and a lot of different kinds of cheese all melted together and served with tortilla chips and pita chip things to dip in it!
#4 by Disco Studd on July 24th, 2009
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Hey Jayson, Willy’s in CR was ARNOLD’S before it was Grumpy’s (I don’t exactly recall, but there might’ve been something else there in between the time Arnold’s bailed and the time it became Grumpy’s.)
Arnold’s, for those who don’t remember was sorta like the 50′s Grille near Brookdale. They all had a 50′s-style Diner motif (but the food was much better than the soggy crap they serve at the 50′s Grille.) The burgers were HUGE, the fries were freshly cut, and the malts were THICK. They had a location in Crystal right off of Bass Lake Road and County Rd 81 (which was previously an old school IHOP according to my dad) that actually was in the movie Feeling Minnesota (Courtney Love was a waitress at said diner in the movie.) Well Arnold’s had long been out of business by the time they filmed the movie, but it was the same building. I remember they also had an Arnold’s in Columbia Heights in the strip mall that houses Wallaby’s Lanes (I think a Game Stop is in the Arnold’s storefront nowadays.)
I have no idea why all the Arnolds’ went out of business. Every time I ate there, you had to wait a half-hour to 45 minutes to be seated.
#5 by admin on July 24th, 2009
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@Jayson — yeah, the CR Family Center Mall post is still in the works. I haven’t had the chance to get up that way to take pictures of the inside yet. I have pictures of the outside, but none of the inside, and I wanted to snap some since the mall is still open.
Uh oh!! Typing on your iphone while driving….tsk tsk!
Actually…I should fess up because I’ve done it too :X
#6 by Tim G on July 24th, 2009
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Yes, Arnold’s! I was trying to remember the name of that place the other day. Would have lunch at the Crystal shop quite frequently when it was still there. Also miss the Iron Horse on the NE corner of that interseciton. Once the city got prudish and shut down the strippers, it was never the same!
Tim G
#7 by admin on July 24th, 2009
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Disco-What is the Arnold’s in Crystal now? Or has it been torn down? I can’t say I remember this place, but I have a Crystal Gallery Mall & Crystal Shopping Center post coming up soon, and this would be helpful. I might have to rent Feeling Minnesota, lol!
I remember a seafood restaurant called Skippers in Crystal that my parents would take us back in the ’80s. I LOVED that place…It was on the corner of 81 and Bass Lake Road.
#8 by jayson on July 24th, 2009
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hey tim! coon rapids had a strip club? man i lived in tampa for a year and there are strip clubs every where along with adult stores you come back here and they are no where. not that i go to strip clubs ;~) just strange how minnesota doesnt have that kinda stuff execpt sex world
#9 by Tim G on July 24th, 2009
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Jayson,
The Iron Horse strip club was in Crystal.
Admin,
Yes, Skippers was another good place for lunch. Really good fish for a deep fried place. It was just west of 81 north side of Bass Lake Road, fronted on BLR. Parking lot now.
Arnold’s was on the east side of 81 just south of Bass Lake Road. Fronted on 81. There’s a strip of semi-commercial/warehouse spaces there now and a Holiday just to the south of that. There used to be an old motel there too that had cottages. Kind of like an old resort setting.
Tim G
#10 by Disco Studd on July 24th, 2009
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Yeah, what Tim G said. I remember there also used to be a Chinese Take-Out place right where Holiday stands now (anybody remember the name?) I remember that crappy old motel. Didn’t they tear it down after somebody blew up their meth lab they were running out of one of the rooms? Or was that at the Crystal Motel? If you watch “Feeling Minnesota,” you’ll see how the area looked in the mid-90′s.
I went to the Iron Whore a few times after they got rid of the male strippers and turned it into a nightclub that played live music (took my wife there on her 21st birthday, and one of my favorite local cover bands “5 Guys” was playing.) It was actually kinda cool how they had the dance floor and stage down a half-level from the bar area. I heard the feds seized the place, as the owners were keeping the place alive with drug money. Last time I drove by that area, the Iron Horse was converted into a boat dealership (Crystal Marine, IIRC.)
#11 by Tim G on July 27th, 2009
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Iron Horse is a car dealer now. Crystal Marine moved out a year or 2 ago. I never saw male strippers there myself, but I knew a couple of guys who would go down there on ladies night and try to pick up horned-up women after the show…. !!:-)
#12 by The Talking Horse on October 25th, 2009
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I never went to KFAN. For some reason, the parking lot was popular with creeps who liked to break into cars…and you’d read about the latest theft every week in the community newspapers.
I did go there when it was Lidos — probably about 1996.
They had a store in the front — kind of at a diagonal — with plenty of food items. The restaurant had a nice, comfortable decor with shiny wood floors and fancy ornate trim on the walls. The food was good (as usual), but the prices seemed a bit high. Olive Garden was just across Snelling and I hate to say this, but they almost seemed to have the Italian restaurant formula perfected a little better. Perhaps Olive Garden was just less expensive. I am sure had Lido’s dropped their prices they would have put the hurt on Olive Garden. Back in the 1960′s-70′s Lido’s used to be located on Larpenteur Avenue near Snelling. It was a shiny cream colored brick building. The floors were ceramic tile and as you walked in the door, it always smelled heavily of cheese. Lidos was famous for it’s great Italian food. Around Roseville, anyway, THAT’S where you went for Italian back in those days. Later, Lidos made their big move up Snelling to the new, bigger place, and Ciatti’s moved in to a much remodeled former Lidos space.
#13 by gusty on January 13th, 2010
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Lido was never torn down, the building just went under the knife and it no longer looks like a charming Italian restaurant with the new atrium they hoisted up.
#14 by Jason on February 5th, 2010
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This website is great, I love reminiscing about forgotten Twin Cities landmarks from my youth. I grew up near 63rd and Boone in the early ’80s…back when Brookdale was pretty much the only mall in my area, and the Crystal “ball” at the Crystal Shopping Center was still standing. That area of Maple Grove that is all built up now was NOTHING when I was a kid.
That Chinese Take-out place on hwy 81 was called K. Wong’s. I never went there, but I remember the name because they had a VERY prominent sign that you couldn’t miss when you drove down 81. I saw a K Wong’s on Silver Lake Rd in St Anthony, they must have moved there after the Crystal store was closed. And speaking of the Iron Horse site, back when it was remodeled for the new Crystal Marine, I thought “bad idea!” because the people that buy $30,000 boats don’t live in Crystal! Sure enough, they ended up moving out to Rogers or something where the money is.
I think that old motel by Arnold’s was called the Bungalow Motel or something like that. “Seedy” doesn’t even begin to describe these “bungalows”, which were like little cabins. I can only imagine the amount of drugs that must have changed hands over the years at this place. The guy who had the meth lab must have remodeled the place to get it as nice as your typical meth lab, that’s how seedy this place was.
Does anybody else remember a strip mall on Brooklyn Blvd in Brooklyn Park that had a really cool arcade and a pretty good record store. I can’t remember the name of the mall, I just know it’s torn down now and the area pretty run down with lots of criminal activity. this mall was jumpin back in the early to mid-80′s and I used to go to this arcade once in while because they had pool tables. I stopped going around 1990 when a friend and I were asked to play a game of pool “for a dolla” by an obvious small-time hustler. I would return to this area occasionaly because there was a Rocky Rococco pizza still operating and I love their pizza! However, I would always beat a hasty retreat up brooklyn Blvd to 694 and home…not sure if they’re still there, if they are I might have to stop by for a slice- in my bulletproof vest, of course.
Note to who runs this website- you should start a sister site called “dumpy apartments.com”. I bring this up because of the large apt complex near this area of Brooklyn Blvd that is pretty notorious. The name escapes me, does anybody know this apt complex? Here’s a funny, true story- back in about 1987, my friend’s older sister needed a babysitter and lived in this apt complex. My friend called me up and we went over there to babysit. Her headbanger boyfriend took out a really big bag of weed, put about an ounce-worth on the coffee table and said we could smoke up this pile as long as we didn’t touch his big stash bag. Well, my friend and me, being only about 14 or so, got pretty wasted on this pile of bud! And needless to say we also helped ourselves to a little from the stash. Anyway, I remember going up to a Tom Thumb store to get a tombstone pizza and not being able to remember which damn apartment building I came out of! They all looked the same! Somehow I found my way back into the right apartment in my pot-induced haze with my nearly melted pizza.
I used to live in Crystal Village Apts back in the 90′s, place was built in 1970 and I think the carpet and wallpaper in the hallway was original, the halls always smelled of urine. When they would shampoo the carpets in the hallway, it would make it smell ten times worse!
there are a lot of dumpy apartments out there, places that were crappy 25 years ago and STILL haven’t been fixed up or remodeled. Anybody have any similar stories?
#15 by Kyle on February 5th, 2010
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I remember eating at Lido’s and it was good Italian food. I agree with Jayson, that the building wasn’t torn down, but added onto/remodeled when it became the KFAN restaurant. Since Lido’s sold the restaurant, its changed hands ever few years.
As for the former Grumpy’s locale (now Willys), wasn’t that once a Mr. Steak? It sure looks like the store design they had and my family and I ate at one back several years ago before they all closed up.
#16 by Todd on June 8th, 2010
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There was an Arnold’s in Richfield also if I remember correctly. Was in a strip mall? They had great food!