Rochester restaurants are located in the shadow of Mayo Clinic

The first thing I notice at Sammi Loo restaurants is the ambiance.

I picked up a latte from Mezza9her French-inspired café in downtown Rochester is decorated with lush pink flowers. From there, it’s a short walk Beepa Korean-American concept that opened about two years ago.

Above the restaurant is a Shanghai-inspired 1928 cocktail lounge.

Loo is one of Rochester’s most recognized entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry. She is someone who thinks about the entire package, from concept to food quality to presentation.

But sales at its companies fell 30 to 40 percent last year.

“I feel like we are facing a recession,” she added. “Purchasing power is low. People don’t want to spend a lot of money.”

As downtown Rochester grows, so does the food scene.

The city has swelled from 85,000 residents in 2000 to more than 122,000 in 2024.

And while a 1993 article in a local newspaper may have put the Old Country Buffet and Cinnabon restaurant in the spotlight, entrepreneurs like Loo have raised the profile of the city’s dining scene.

These companies effectively stand in the shadow of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, the state’s largest hospital. Their fates are intertwined.

While restaurants in a city like Minneapolis may be busier on the weekend, Mayo Clinic keeps many Rochester businesses busy on Monday night.

“We average about 49 to 52 percent of our client base Monday through Thursday are Mayo Clinic patients, and those are the busiest days of the week most of the time,” says Jennifer Lester. She has Blue Duck Kitchen In downtown Rochester.

“So that’s very important. And if we didn’t have that, you know, I don’t know where the restaurants would be, if they would be able to survive.”

Bleu Duck is an upscale “New American” concept, with brick walls and an urban feel.

This was initially difficult to explain to customers when the company opened in 2016. Despite the linen tablecloths, there was no black-tie dress code. People can show up wearing a hat and t-shirt and expect a good meal.

Natalie Victoria has worked Victoria It has been located downtown since 1997. It has the atmosphere of a classic Italian restaurant, with paintings of Venice and Botticelli on the walls.

Although the restaurant has changed locations once, Mayo has always led its business. Victoria says it’s important to make patients feel cared for when they leave hospital too.

“We’re fortunate to have Mayo Clinic’s transient clients as our consumers; they probably have a little more budget,” she said. “But it’s never easy. I mean it’s always like a jigsaw puzzle. There are some months where you do well and some months you don’t do so well.”

In Minnesota, most hospitality businesses They are seeing declining profitsIncluding restaurants and hotels, according to a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Business owners cited high costs of doing business.

In Rochester, Loo focuses on collaborating with other local businesses as a community.

“The Rochester community is amazing,” she said. “I feel like collaborations are very important, and I really want to have more collaborations next year.”