The long-awaited return of classic chain Steak and Ale is here: Legendary Restaurant Brands officially opened the first new location on July 8 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration. Located at 14201 Nicollet Avenue South in Burnsville, Minnesota, the new restaurant sits in a 5,000-square-foot space inside the Wyndham Nicollet Inn—though it has its own outside entrance and a patio—and can seat up to 225 guests.
The restaurant will also handle food and beverage operations for the hotel—including room service, breakfast, lunch and dinner, late night, and delivery—and will even serve as a host kitchen for Bennigan’s. Day-to-day operations will be managed by franchise partner Roy Arnold, CEO of Kansas-based Endeavor Properties. Arnold’s 15-store franchise agreement in the Midwest includes exclusive rights for expansion of Steak and Ale, Bennigan’s, and Bennigan’s On The Fly in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.
“From the moment we announced the launch, my phone has been blowing up and my inbox has been overflowing,” Arnold said in a statement. “The media, Steak & Ale alumni, and steak lovers alike have been patiently waiting for any news about our reopening and I am thrilled to be able to deliver on their excitement.”
Paul Mangiamele, CEO of Legendary Restaurant Brands, has been plotting the brand’s triumphant return since it shuttered its doors nearly two decades ago after a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in 2008. He and his wife Gwen Mangiamele purchased the brand in 2015 from Fortress Investment Group and formed Legendary Restaurant Brands, with the goal to revamp and reopen Steak and Ale as a modern polished-casual concept.
“Everything has its cycle. And I think we are timely in the reintroduction or resurrection and the renaissance of Bennigan’s and Steak and Ale,” Mangiamele previously told FSR.
Widely considered the early model for casual dining, Steak and Ale was founded by Norman Brinker in 1966 on the premise of providing great steaks at affordable pricing and attentive, friendly service in an intimate yet comfortable environment. Inspired by the warmth of an English inn, the concept took off and grew to more than 110 locations worldwide at its peak.
The Burnsville menu will feature all of Steak and Ale’s traditional favorites, along with several contemporary and regional offerings.
The new Steak and Ale menu will feature classic favorites, including the giant salad bar, the Hawaiian Chicken dinner, and Kensington Club Steak, along with several contemporary touches like a Prime Rib carving station with dramatic cast iron doors. An array of beer, wine and cocktails, tableside salad service, and Irish Coffee will also be offered—including a few crossover menu items and services from Bennigan’s.
Mangiamele had a few reasons why he chose Burnsville to be the location of the brand’s relaunch. In addition to the property being a good fit to renovate in a prime spot by a Wyndam hotel, it just so happens that Mangiamele and his wife have a residence in nearby Eden Prairie. “My kids grew up in Minnesota. I know the state, I know the market, I know the demographics,” he told FSR. “So when this came up, I said, ‘Man, you know what, we are in the middle of the sweet spot for Midwest, family friendly, high-value proposition, reintroduction of Steak and Ale.’ So that’s how the genesis of being in Burnsville became a reality.”
Mangiamele says he’s capitalizing on the pent-up demand for legacy brands that already have awareness, with the ultimate goal of achieving global market share capture.
The power of that nostalgia—or as Mangiamele likes to call it, “New-stalgia”—is perfectly exemplified by the Facebook group called “Steak and Ale’s Comeback,” which was created in 2013 and has grown to nearly 55,000 followers. That group has become a kind of playbook for Mangiamele, with wish-list cities and former employees reminiscing about how great it was to work for the company.
“It’s truly a labor of love. I grew up with these brands myself,” Mangiamele says of the 58-year-old Steak and Ale and its sister concept (and only other Norman Brinker-founded brand), Bennigan’s. “They develop very strong emotional connections, and emotional connections in the business world equals revenue, and revenue and the ability to create high-revenue restaurants, in a day where there’s a lot of failure and not a lot of successes, speaks volumes for the emotional connections that were created so many years ago.”
READ MORE: Inside the Resurrection of the Legendary Steak and Ale Restaurant Chain
