Donations pour in to save Uptown restaurant threatened by closure
A long-serving Uptown restaurant under the threat of closure because of rising rents and a downturn in traffic has seen donations pour in to keep it afloat.
A Go Fund Me campaign was launched by Jonathan Rowe, the son of Dathao Phan, who is the owner of the KinhDo Restaurant that has been plying its trade at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and West 28th Street for more than 35 years.
His parents took over the restaurant in 2015 from his grandparents, who were the original owners of the restaurant, and while everything was going well initially, the onset of the pandemic proved a big blow to business, as did the subsequent civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
They were able to stay in business despite the decline in traffic that followed, with the help of "the generosity of their [previous] landlord," but their building was sold last June and their new landlord has increased their rent and maintenance fees.
"I have seen my parents struggle, and it breaks my heart," Rowe writes. "They have worked so hard trying to keep KinhDo open because they love Uptown. They have hopes that Uptown will be great once again and would like to be able to see that happen."
Phan told KARE 11 at the weekend that they were behind around $14,000 on their January and February rent, and the response has been such that they have raised more than $28,000 via the Go Fund Me.
Rowe wrote in an update: "The love, kindness, and support my family has received the last few days have left me speechless. There are not enough words to express my gratitude. My parents have always taught me that family is everything and it takes a village to raise a family. You are all a part of my village!"
