Downtown Robbinsdale has many of the amenities a person could ask for: a bank, a drug store and a gym.
"You know, every small town usually has a café on the main street," said restauranteur Brad Eagles.
Yet, a traditional breakfast place is one thing the city didn't have, that is until Eagles opened Birdtown Café last week.
"The community has definitely supported it," Eagles said. "This past weekend was extremely busy, busier than we ever expected, which is great."
The restaurant specializes in basic breakfast and lunch items. Eagles has been in the restaurant industry for 25 years (his family runs Robbinsdale's Broadway Pizza), and he thinks the simplicity of Birdtown will equal success.
"Just very simple menu, very simple food, very homemade," Eagles said. "Good food is what it's about."
The concept of good food has certainly brought more people to the city, as evidenced by the crowds who pack nearby Travail on a nightly basis.
Birdtown Café is one of several restaurants along West Broadway Avenue, along with Nonna Rosa's and Travail. Members of the Robbinsdale Chamber of Commerce say that each of these places is helping to revitalize the city.
"I like to say it started with our opening of Nonna Rosa's," said Tina Suglia of the Robbinsdale Chamber of Commerce. "Shortly after, the Lodge opened and Travail opened. And that was all in a relatively short period of time two years ago."
Suglia owns Nonna Rosa's restaurant, but as a member of the chamber of commerce, she also helps recruit new businesses to the area. So far, she says things are going well, citing budding retail spots as examples.
"It's never hard to hear when people are raving about our restaurant in Robbinsdale, or the fact that Robbinsdale is such a great spot right now," she said. "We hope to continue that momentum and build on it as we're able."
That momentum is something Eagles hopes to capitalize on.
"It's a good location," he said. "So I think the future is bright for the town for sure."
The Birdtown Cafe sells traditional breakfast items, but it also offers what's called the "Fill It, Skillet Challenge." It consists of a large skillet filled with hash browns, 10 scrambled eggs, six pieces of sausage, six pieces of bacon, six pieces of toast with peanut butter, and a slice of ham.
Six people have tried the challenge so far. All have failed.
Delane Cleveland
dcleveland@twelve.tv
June 18, 2012