The former Grizzly's Grill N' Saloon in Grand Forks will soon be home to two new restaurants and new retail space near the Columbia Mall.
Ted Horan, a Moorhead resident and operating partner with Willmar, Minn.-based Border States Management, told the Herald that the group closed on the Grizzly's property at 3100 32nd Ave. S. today.
The restaurant had its last day of business Sunday.
A Noodles & Company restaurant will occupy the side of the building closest to 32nd Avenue. An Erbert & Gerbert's Sandwich Shop will take up the other side of the building closest to the mall and will feature a drive-through window.
Horan said construction will begin in early January to remodel and add additional space onto the building, bringing it to a total of about 9,700 square feet to make room for the new businesses.
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"Our goal would be to have one or both of those restaurants open in May or June," he said.
That will leave room for about 5,500 square feet of leasable retail space in the middle that Horan said will likely be used for two new tenants, but not another restaurant.
Restaurant plans
Horan said the location near the "hopping" Columbia Mall was a natural fit for the first Grand Forks development by Border States Management, which has restaurants in North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa and Florida.
"It's the main retail trade area in the city," he said. "I think you want to locate by your competitors. We looked for quite a while and this space became available, and it makes more sense for us to locate there than anywhere else in town."
Several new restaurants have opened up or started construction along 32nd Avenue in the past year, including Olive Garden, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Pizza Ranch, CherryBerry and Ruby Tuesday.
Border States Management already operates four Erbert and Gerbert's in Fargo-Moorhead and one in Bismarck, as well as a Noodles & Company in Fargo that opened Oct. 3.
Erbert & Gerbert's offers submarine sandwiches, soups, potato chips, pickles, cookies and soft drinks. The franchise was founded in 1987 in Eau Claire, Wis., and now has about 50 locations across the country.
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Noodles & Company is a "fast casual" restaurant that offers Asian, Mediterranean and American dishes, including noodles, pastas, salads, soups and sandwiches. The company, founded in 1995, is headquartered in Broomfield, Colo., and now has more than 260 restaurants in 20 states.
Old Chicago
Border States Management also has a franchise agreement with Old Chicago, a pizza and pasta chain that has a location in Fargo.
Horan said the group originally planned to build an Old Chicago and Noodles & Company together in Grand Forks.
The business partners are still interested in a Grand Forks location for Old Chicago. But Horan said it is not "on the development radar" for at least the first half of 2012.
"It makes better business sense for us at this point to focus on these two brands and create leasable space," he said.
Johnson reports on local business. Reach him at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send email to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
