How can a sports bar go from announcement to open in one summer, while a corner restaurant a few doors down stays dark for a full year? At 50th & France this fall, the answer has little to do with menus or chefs. It depends on the building behind the storefront, and on how much of it no longer meets code.
The Edina Housing and Redevelopment Authority shows this plainly. On Aug. 13, it gave two small grants to two businesses getting ready to open in the district. The meeting record shows that much of a new tenant's budget goes to work customers will never see.
The sports bar trading its back steps for a ramp
General Sports Bar opened Sept. 8 at 5034 France Ave., in the former Salut space. It comes from Marty Collins and Brett Johnson, Edina natives who are part of the ownership team behind NOLO's Kitchen, The Rooftop Bar and The Basement Bar in the North Loop. The Star Tribune counts more than 25 televisions inside.
The bigger change is downstairs. The lower level used to be storage. Now it's customer space for private parties, with a golf simulator and other games. To open that floor to guests, the owners had to add an ADA ramp. Outside, Edina Economic Development Manager Bill Neuendorf told the HRA that the decades-old patio had gotten "all wobbly" and no longer met ADA standards. The rear loading dock, with its narrow walkway and uneven steps, is slated to be replaced with a ramp.
Neuendorf put the total investment in the sports bar at about $1 million. Of that, $38,000 counted as eligible for the city grant, and the grant itself was $24,000. Next to a seven-figure buildout, that grant is a rounding error. Neuendorf explained why it still mattered:
"It's a pretty small grant, but without the grant, these little fixes would not happen. The owners are already over budget, and they wanted to do the best job and have it set for the next generation."
He also said the patio and dock work was "not part of their original scope," and that the city encouraged the owners to bring the building up to standard and be "ready for another 20 years." That's how a sports bar ends up planning a new ramp out back.
The coffee shop with a 1980s kitchen
The same pattern explains why Smith Coffee & Cafe is still under construction at 3948 W. 50th St., the former D'Amico & Sons. D'Amico closed in March when its lease ended. Alex and Ann Schuster, who have run the Eden Prairie Smith since 2006, took the space.
By the time of the HRA meeting, the Schusters had spent about $400,000 on construction, with about $30,000 of that work eligible for the grant. The money goes to a kitchen that no longer meets code. The ceilings have to be torn out and rebuilt, and most of the kitchen's electrical and plumbing needs replacing. Neuendorf said none of that was in their original budget. His summary sums up the whole district: "what passed code back in the 1980s does not pass code in 2026."
Here's what to expect once it opens. The cafe plans to open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day for breakfast and lunch, with about 90 seats inside plus a patio. The owners were aiming for October. As of the Star Tribune's Sept. 8 roundup, it was still listed as coming soon, and no confirmed opening day has been announced.
The timing of these grants matters for the storefronts still dark. Neuendorf said the SPARC program ends at the end of this year, and "this might be the last time we talk about SPARC." Once the program ends, the next tenant to inherit an aging kitchen or outdated entrance at 50th & France will cover that work without the city's help.
The longest wait on the block
The most visible example is 5036 France Ave. Cocina del Barrio closed there on Oct. 1, 2025, and Ryan Burnet, who owned Barrio, announced that he and chef Daniel del Prado would replace it with Americana. A year later, the Star Tribune's Sept. 8 roundup still lists Americana as arriving "by fall 2026." The plans call for a glass-enclosed rooftop patio and a redesign by Christian Dean Architecture.
A rooftop enclosure is structural work. It's in the same category as the patio and kitchen projects described above, only larger. The building has now been dark for a full year, roughly what a project like this would suggest. No firm opening date has been published.
One restaurant group, several storefronts at once
Some of the turnover at 50th & France comes from a single owner. Del Prado's DDP Restaurant Group already runs Dexter's with co-owners Carla and Spencer Jones, plus Noma Hi-Fi Bar and Thérèse nearby. Thérèse took over the former Lynhall space at 3945 Market St. and opened in late November 2025.
The newest DDP project is the Side Door at Dexter's, at 3717 W. 50th St. on the Minneapolis side of the district, in the former SotaRol space. It's planned as a small food hall with three counters. Lucia's serves pizza and salads, Daq Daq serves Korean fried chicken, and Rose Sushi serves nigiri and rolls. In April, the concepts' social media pointed to a spring opening. As of Sept. 8, only Lucia's was open, and the other two were still listed as opening soon.
Even with one operator, one kitchen team and one address, the three counters are opening one at a time.
Where things stand in early October
Here's the status of each storefront, based on the most recent published reports:
- Open: General Sports Bar, 5034 France Ave., former Salut, open since Sept. 8.
- Open: Lucia's at the Side Door at Dexter's, 3717 W. 50th St.
- Open: Thérèse, 3945 Market St., former Lynhall, open since late November 2025.
- Coming: Smith Coffee & Cafe, 3948 W. 50th St., former D'Amico & Sons, targeting October.
- Coming: Americana, 5036 France Ave., former Cocina del Barrio, forecast for fall 2026.
- Coming: Daq Daq and Rose Sushi, inside the Side Door at Dexter's.
The fall calendar, for blocks that are open
The 50th & France Business Association has scheduled several events through mid-November, using the storefronts that are already open:
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Trick-or-treating throughout the district. Businesses will hand out candy, coupons and stickers, costumes are encouraged for all ages, and the association lists kids-eat-free and meal deals at lunch.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 1 to 2 p.m. A free Halloween dog parade right after trick-or-treating, with Halloween films at Edina Theatre the same day.
- Saturday, Nov. 7. The Holiday Fashion Brunch at Mr. Paul's Supper Club, with a fashion show, food and drink. Tickets are $65.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 5 to 8 p.m. Shop by Candlelight, with participating shops open late plus caroling, cider and cookies.
If Smith Coffee opens on schedule, the trick-or-treat route on Oct. 31 will be the first busy Saturday with a daytime cafe back at the former D'Amico corner. Americana's rooftop and the last two Side Door counters will depend on construction, and none has a confirmed date.
The upgrades that keep these storefronts dark longer than expected are the same ones that let a building sell for more down the road. Accessible entrances, updated kitchens and usable lower levels all matter when a property changes hands. If you own near 50th & France and want to know how the district's reinvestment affects the value of your own building, David K Wells III Real Estate at the Coldwell Banker Minneapolis Lakes office follows these blocks closely. Contact David & Wren to discuss your next move.
