Fish tacos will remain a staple of Lake Calhoun, despite a recent dustup between Tin Fish restaurant and the Park Board.
The popular eatery on the shores of one of Minneapolis' most active lakes warned recently that escalating costs associated with their Park Board contract could drive them into extinction. At issue was the amount of money they must reinvest in the property.
Tin Fish, which has operated on Park Board land since 2004, entered into talks with the Board to renegotiate their contract when the terms for automatic renewal became difficult for the business to meet.
The restaurant subsequently wrote on Facebook earlier this month that one Board proposal "would make it difficult for us to continue our business. This breaks our hearts."
But the issue was resolved after the Park Board agreed to scale back their proposal at a meeting last week. Tin Fish owner Sheffield Priest said the final agreement means their rent obligations – including capital investments – will amount to about 18 percent of sales.
Whether that amounts to an increase or a decrease in their overall rent depends on who you ask, and how you examine the initial contract terms.
"We're happy that we still get to be the Tin Fish," said Priest. "We still get to do this magical thing in a magical place. That's what we're happy about."
Tin Fish will likely open for the season in the last week of April. The new contract lasts for three years, at which point the restaurant will have to bid against other business proposals for rights to the property.
