Minneapolis theater buffs will soon be able to enjoy jerky-inspired hors d'oeuvres on their way to and from shows at an entertainment lounge and event space in the former Solera building.
The Hennepin Theatre Trust has partnered with meat snacks company Jack Link's to open the lounge in the building at 9th Street and Hennepin Avenue, next door to the Trust's Orpheum Theatre.
Guests will be able to meet before and after theater events for refreshments and snacks, the trust and company announced Monday.
The establishment, which has yet to be named, will open next year. The partnership gives Jack Link's the naming rights.
The lounge will occupy a portion of the first floor of the building, which the Trust purchased in August 2016 for $2.3 million. The Trust moved its offices from City Center to the building's second and third floors last May. The building was home to the Solera restaurant for about a dozen years before it closed in 2015.
The new establishment is one of several ways Jack Link's is building its visibility in downtown Minneapolis. Last month, the Wisconsin-based jerky purveyor opened a retail store in the renovated Target Center, its first in the country. This month, Jack Link's employees are starting to move into new offices in Mayo Clinic Square next door to the arena and a few blocks from the Orpheum.
Jack Link's also plans to open a restaurant in Mayo Clinic Square, but details are still pending.
"Jack Link's has been part of the Minneapolis community for the last eight years and the city continues to be a growing hub for our employees and our company," Tom "TD" Dixon, chief marketing officer of Jack Link's, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to support organizations like the Hennepin Theatre Trust and their efforts to help downtown flourish through arts and entertainment."
Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495 Twitter: @nicolenorfleet
