O'Gara's Bar and Grill will not re-open St. Paul location
O'Gara's Bar and Grill, formerly located at Snelling and Selby in St. Paul, announced it will not re-open due to business outlooks. (FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - After closing last year, O’Gara’s Bar and Grill in St. Paul was initially set to reopen. But now, the owner said it no longer makes sense for business.
“It is with great sadness that we announce today that we have decided not to reopen the original Selby and Snelling Avenue location,” owner Dan O’Gara said Monday.
For 71 years, O’Gara’s anchored that St. Paul corner. Now, the old building has given way to mixed-use apartments and retail space in a development deal O’Gara made with the Ryan companies.
O’Gara’s would lease back space there for a smaller bar, but since they signed the development agreement, the city passed a new wage law, and the bar business has seen increased competition from tap rooms.
Dan O’Gara said none of those changes and market forces were part of his business plan for the new O’Gara’s. He said going forward, he could have made it work for a couple of years, but long-term, it just was not sustainable.
“Until probably about 10 days ago, we had not made our decision. We had conversations with Ryan companies as recent as 10 days ago, and really just tried to make it work and just decided that long-term, it was not going to work for us,” he said.
Though the St. Paul location will not re-open, O'Gara's at the Minnesota State Fair remains a popular spot.
For longtime O’Gara’s employees such as Laura Henricksen, the decision hurts.
“Dan O’Gara is right when he said he didn’t take this decision lightly and how it affects the staff, and their family thought about that. They actively tried to make sure all [the staff] knew before,” Henricksen.
But, not all of O’Gara’s is gone. The family will still operate its well-known Minnesota State Fair pavilion and keep inviting back its customers.
“Now we’re just going to really focus on doing more events here and making sure that people’s experiences here at the fair is great,” O’Gara said.
Statement from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter:
“O'Gara's has been a Saint Paul institution for a long time. I'm saddened by the news that their landmark location on Snelling Avenue is closing, but look forward to celebrating their continued success at the State Fair.”