Plans for more Med City diamonds and spicy chicken in Apache Mall area

Jeff Kiger, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
·2 min read

May 9—The demolition of a former Southwest Rochester eatery cleared the way for developers to propose building two commercial buildings, including a Popeye's restaurant.

In 2020, the former Bakers Square restaurant at 819 Apache Lane SW was demolished by Ed Clark's E & M Investments Inc.

Plans were submitted last week to the City of Rochester proposing to build two structures on the 69-acre eastern portion of the now-empty lot between Arby's and the former Toys 'R' Us building.

The plans show a proposal to construct a more than 6,000-square-foot commercial building with space for two businesses along the 12th Street/US 14 side of the lot.

In a 2,997-square-foot portion on the west side of the building, a Wedding Day Diamonds is marked as a tenant. Wedding Day Diamonds is a Minnesota company with eight locations in the Twin Cities area as well as ones in St. Cloud, Richfield and Minnetonka. This would be its only southeastern Minnesota location.

The other half of the building is marked as a 3,483-square-foot "spa" with no specific business name listed.

The plans call for the west portion of the lot being "prepped for development by another agency." A general outline for a restaurant is drawn in that area with "Future Popeye's (By Others)" marked on it.

If that refers to the Popeye's Cajun chicken chain, then this plan marks the Florida-based company's second move to start cooking in the Med City.

A proposal for a north Popeye's location in the Chateau Circle development, along 55th Street Northwest, has been working its way through the planning pipeline since January.

Popeyes has 12 locations in the Twin Cities area. The chain just recently started showing interest in the rest of the state. On New Year's Day, it opened the first non-metro Popeyes in St. Cloud.

These plans for the empty Baker's Square lot could signal actions coming for the adjacent former Toys 'R' Us building at 808 Apache Lane SW. E & M, which owns the Bakers Square lot, is also a part owner of the Toys 'R' Us property.

E & M joined with Rochester developer and real estate investor Dan Penz's Perk 18 LLC to buy the 45,628-square-foot building at 808 Apache Lane SW for $3.9 million in October 2019.

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