Top Chef's Justin Sutherland Is Relocating 1 Of His Restaurants To Allow For Better Social Distancing
Top Chef alumni Justin Sutherland manages a number of restaurants in the Minneapolis area, and he has made the decision to close down two of his businesses and relocate another amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Two of the chef's restaurants, Public Kitchen + Bar and Handsome Hog, were located near the Park Square Court Building in St. Paul, MN. The building is soon converting into an apartment complex, and the construction would have caused both restaurants to shutter for 16 months. As a result, Justin decided to permanently close Public Kitchen + Bar and focus on relocating Handsome Hog, the Star Tribune reports.
Justin will be transforming another one of his food joints, The Fitz, into the Handsome Hog's new restaurant space. This dining room is located just five minutes from the original Handsome Hog location, and the larger space will allow diners to easily comply with social distancing guidelines when the restaurant eventually re-opens. There is also a newly built outdoor patio that customers can be seated at.
A post shared by Handsome Hog (@handsome_hog) on Nov 21, 2019 at 11:18am PST
COVID-19-related adjustments also put another one of Justin's projects on hold indefinitely. He was working on an oyster and whiskey spot but ultimately decided that the nature of that dining experience wasn't the best thing to focus on given the circumstances.
"It is such an interactive concept, especially with the oyster bar—so much touching of things, and human contact,” he told the paper: “Focusing on an oyster bar didn’t seem like the best move right now.”
The Handsome Hog could be seating patrons at its new location as early as June 16, although no date is set in stone just yet. In the meantime, the chef is providing for his community through the organization The North Stands, which collects donations for hospitality workers.
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