In today’s newsletter: Cynthia Gerdes calls on CEOs to save local restaurants, Adam Duininck delivers stats on downtown traffic and safety, Players Health founder Tyrre Burks teams up with an Olympian, an invite from Greater MSP, and Dairy Queen goes (Savannah) bananas.
The Minneapolis Downtown Council’s annual meeting is typically a big pep fest for the city that focuses on silver linings even when news is bleak. But last week’s event at the Armory took on a more urgent tone, kicking off with a message from Cynthia Gerdes, founder of Hell’s Kitchen restaurant, who called on the nearly 1,000 leaders in attendance to support local restaurants that are on the brink of collapse. She asked that CEOs of large companies share their business savvy with restaurant owners and work together on policies more conducive to small-business success. She also encouraged employers to bring their workers downtown more frequently, and at a minimum, eat out more, and don’t skip the sweets. “Desserts is ‘stressed’ spelled backwards,” Gerdes told the attentive crowd.
A few encouraging stats delivered by Adam Duininck, president and CEO of the Downtown Council and Downtown Improvement District, and board members:
- Downtown workday foot traffic has climbed to approximately 80% of pre-pandemic levels.
- Downtown’s residential base is holding steady at just over 60,000.
- U.S. Bank Stadium drew more than 1 million to the 162 events it hosted in 2025.
- The Minneapolis Police Department hired more than 100 new recruits, cadets and transfers in 2025 while also adding 68 community service officers.
- Violent crime in the Warehouse District decreased by 55%, which was attributed to the addition of late-night ambassadors.
Join the movement
The next opportunity to rub shoulders with power players (besides our North Star Network event tomorrow) comes on March 3 when Greater MSP hosts NEXT26 to announce a 10-year plan to push Minnesota into a top 10 state for economic performance.
This annual event is typically invite-only, but this year, for the first time, everyone is invited. “Increasingly, we’re seeing the target audience less as a demographic and more of a psychographic,” Greater MSP spokesman Don Ball tells me. “Are you pro-innovation? Are you pro-growth? Do you want to see a more equitable economy? Do you believe in a third path that lies outside of the usual partisan approach to solving our problems? If yes, then you are our kind of person, and we want you to know about the partnership and the great work that’s already underway.”
NEXT26 will take place at the Guthrie Theater. Register here.
Going Bananas
American Dairy Queen Corp. is sliding into a partnership with the hottest team in baseball: the Savannah Bananas. Obviously, it involves a Savannah Bananas Split Shake, available starting today, Feb. 23, at participating DQ locations nationwide. DQ will be a presence throughout the entertaining team’s 2026 season with activations and giveaways at every game. DQ’s EVP of marketing Maria Hokanson said it best: These are two brands that love to flip.
Banana Ball comes to Target Field in August, but the lottery list for the season is already closed. You can still join the “interest list,” but you might have better luck making friends with Tom Pohlad.
