For the past several years, Uptown has been embroiled in a debate over parking. With reconstruction of Hennepin Ave. underway and Lyndale Ave. slated for an overhaul in 2027, several interested groups have been vocal about the necessity of preserving parking spots to ensure access to local businesses. However, some neighborhood restaurants are choosing to convert their nearby parking areas into expanded patio seating to better serve their customers.

In June, Barbette received approval from the City to create a fenced patio with 28 additional seats in their back parking lot. There was a similar parking lot seating arrangement during the Covid lockdown, and now the restaurant is deciding to bring it back. “It’s helpful in the summer because we hardly have any days when people can sit on the patio anyway. Some extra space is good,” said Barbette owner Kim Bartmann. 

Barbette remains a mainstay of Bartmann’s restaurant group after the closure of Barbette’s neighbor restaurant Pinoli in April and Red Stag Supperclub in Northeast at the end of 2022 following a 2021 wage theft settlement with employees. 

Bartmann wasn’t fazed by the prospect of losing valuable parking spaces. “Sadly, I’ve been working here since 1991, so I’m very familiar with that problem,” she said, and reiterated that the extra seating will be in the restaurant’s own private parking lot rather than in public parking spaces. 

Bartmann said she plans to have the new seating installed later this week after the hubbub from Barbette’s Bastille Day block party held on July 13 settles down. 

Nico’s Tacos on Hennepin Ave. also turned their parking lot along the side of the building into an additional 20 outdoor seats as a temporary Covid-related measure. Seeing the success of the initiative, in 2022 they received the necessary City permits to make it a permanent seasonal patio. 

“The patio is our big thing here in the summer,” said Tyler Johnson, the general manager of the Nico’s Hennepin Ave. location. Making it bigger and more inviting to pedestrians just made sense. In the winter, they clear away the tables so patrons can park in the lot, and they keep a handicap spot open year round. During the summer, when people are walking to go out to dinner and find a shaded area surrounded by planters and tucked away from the bustle of Hennepin Ave., Johnson said, “Having extra patio space is great for business.” 

Especially with all the dust and noise of construction on Hennepin this season, Johnson said the driveway patio has been popular. “Around the corner, it’s quieter and has better sunlight. It’s a nice zen spot,” he said. Keeping a restaurant open on a torn-up road isn’t easy, but “we’re a tough cookie,” said Johnson. “We’re keeping our heads high. Support from the community is doing a lot, and if we got through Covid, we can get through this too.” 

For Caffrey’s Deli & Subs, the decision to expand their patio into the parking lane on Lyndale Ave. was all about increasing visibility. Caffrey’s owner Pete Caffrey said, “We’ve always had a sidewalk cafe, but so does everybody else. So there was nothing there that stood out.” 

The deli got its larger patio in 2024 thanks to the City of Minneapolis’ Street Café program, which allows restaurants to expand their service area into the roadway without having to pay exorbitant parking meter fees. 

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Caffrey said that setting up the street cafe for a second season “is not doubling my business like a patio would at a full service restaurant in the summertime, but it certainly adds something.” Plus, he noted, Caffrey’s has a robust delivery and catering operation that helps offset the unpredictability of walk-in business. “I know how to get by in leaner times in this neighborhood. We don’t rely on people coming into our shop to thrive. It’s definitely a huge part of our business, but it’s not the make or break part of our business model.” 

When he first applied for the permits, Caffrey said he knew the street café would be a temporary addition due to the upcoming Lyndale Ave. reconstruction project. “It was just something that we thought we’d give a shot and see if the increased outside seating made us a little more visible and a little more relevant in the neighborhood,” he said. 

Uptown restaurant owners walk a delicate line between boosting their revenue through increased outdoor seating and making it possible for customers arriving by car to enjoy a meal out without fighting for parking. More and more are deciding that some degree of parking sacrifice is worth it.