Redstone American Grill spent 27 years around Ridgedale Center, and in September it closed its Minnetonka restaurant over parking. Its operations director told Bring Me The News that "parking continues to be a challenge for our guests."
That reason explains most of what is happening around Ridgedale Center this fall. A bank lot on Plymouth Road became two new commercial buildings. A burrito counter opened there in July, and a burger chain opens next to it on October 21. Inside the mall, a 1,155-square-foot studio took over a Level 1 storefront. Each of these changes involves land that was once mostly parking and is now being rebuilt for other uses. Places that need a lot of cars parked for two hours have a harder time. Places that handle quick visits and online pickup are moving in.
Redstone and the Lot That Kept Shrinking
Redstone first opened near Ridgedale in 1999, at a different spot from the one it just left. Between those two locations it spent 27 years in the area. The company still runs restaurants in Eden Prairie and Maple Grove. Minnetonka staff were offered jobs with the same hours at those two locations.
The parking problem built up over years. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported that parking around Ridgedale has gotten harder over the last nine years. New development has taken over some lot space, and there has been a push to move surface parking into structures. The Star Tribune's restaurant roll call also listed the closing on October 5 and gave the same reason: parking challenges tied to nearby development.
Neither outlet named one project as the cause, and no new tenant or plan for the old Redstone building has been announced. What's on record is the timeline. A full-service grill that depended on dinner traffic decided the parking near its door no longer worked for its guests. In the statement Bring Me The News reported, the company said it will put the money from this location into new investments at its other restaurants.
What Gets Built When a Bank Lot Turns Over
A few blocks away, the city's own records show what replaces surface parking. Minnetonka's project page for the former Wells Fargo site on Plymouth Road describes two commercial buildings. The southern building has bank and retail space. The northern building has room for restaurant and retail uses. As Hoodline summarized from a city planning document, that adds up to five commercial tenant spaces on what used to be one bank parcel.
Chipotle took one of those spaces. The city planning document lists the restaurant at about 2,300 square feet. The store at 1807 Plymouth Road opened around July 31 as the chain's third Minnetonka location, with hours of 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Hoodline noted that the store has no Chipotlane, the drive-thru pickup lane on many of the chain's recent Minnesota openings. Orders here are picked up inside or delivered. Chipotle expected the opening to create about 30 jobs.
Redstone had a full-service menu and a dining room people stayed in for an evening. Chipotle is a counter-service spot in a slice of a shared building, built for a quick visit or a phone order. That's the kind of tenant this redevelopment pattern makes room for.
Shake Shack's Opening Morning, October 21
The second tenant at the site is opening soon. Shake Shack Minnetonka, at 1809 Plymouth Road, holds a ribbon cutting with the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, October 21. Here's what the chamber's event listing says about that morning:
- 9:30 a.m. The ceremony begins, and anyone can stop by.
- About 9:45 a.m. The ribbon is cut.
- 10 a.m. Doors officially open.
- The first 100 guests get a premium tote bag and a $5 voucher for a future visit.
- $1 from every sandwich sold goes to ICA Food Shelf.
Late summer coverage had the opening in mid-September. The October 21 chamber date replaces that estimate. The Star Tribune's October 5 roll call also listed the opening for October.
The bigger local detail is the hours. The Sun Sailor reported that the restaurant plans to open seven days a week. Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The location will have 50 employees. The company applied to the city for on-sale wine, 3.2% malt beverage and 2 a.m. liquor licenses, and the second council hearing was scheduled for October 5. If the 2 a.m. license is approved, the Sun Sailor reported, this would be the first Shake Shack anywhere to hold one. We couldn't confirm whether the council approved it, so for now the license is an application.
Shake Shack is a counter-service chain going into a new building on a redeveloped lot, with long hours that fit people coming and going quickly.
The Same Shift, Inside the Mall
Inside Ridgedale Center, the new arrivals are also built for short visits. Rowan, an ear-piercing studio that Bring Me The News describes as mom-founded and women-led, opened on Saturday, October 10. It's the company's fourth Minnesota shop, a 1,155-square-foot studio on Level 1 between Gap and Express. Shoppers get there through the mall's existing entrances and structured parking, the kind of setup the area has been moving toward.
A Bigger Restaurant Idea, Still Without a Site
One pitch would bring back the kind of long sit-down meal Redstone offered. At a June 8 meeting, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants showed the Minnetonka City Council a concept for a Ridgedale-area location. It would have a full-service restaurant, a tasting room and an off-sale wine shop. In the Sun Sailor's coverage of the meeting, council members talked about the appeal of a vineyard-style tasting room. One member pointed out that the Ridgedale area has vacant spaces the concept could fill.
A concept review is only early feedback. The city explains that it comes before any formal application. As of June, the site was still undetermined, formal council approval was still needed, and no opening date had been set. We found no public update since then. Whether a full-service restaurant of that size returns to Ridgedale probably depends on what Redstone's closing points to: finding a space with enough parking for guests who stay a while.
The Ridgedale Timeline, in Order
- 1999. Redstone American Grill opens at its first location near Ridgedale Center.
- June 8, 2026. Cooper's Hawk presents its Ridgedale-area concept to the City Council. No formal action is taken.
- Around July 31, 2026. Chipotle opens at 1807 Plymouth Road, part of the former Wells Fargo redevelopment.
- Early September 2026. Redstone announces its Minnetonka closing and cites parking. Bring Me The News reports it on September 4.
- October 5, 2026. The City Council holds its second hearing on Shake Shack's license applications, including the 2 a.m. license.
- October 10, 2026. Rowan opens on Level 1 of Ridgedale Center.
- October 21, 2026. Shake Shack holds its ribbon cutting at about 9:45 a.m. and opens at 10 a.m.
Outside the Ridgedale area, Minnetonka also gained a dessert spot this month. Ichigo Cafe opened at 10988 Cedar Lake Road S. on October 1. It serves Tokyo-style crepes and Japanese sweets, a second location for the shop at Eat Street Crossing in Minneapolis.
The changes around Ridgedale show how much a lot's layout, where cars park and how long they stay, shapes what a property is worth to the next owner. Our team at The Hancock Group watches redevelopment like this near the homes we market across the southwest metro. If you'd like to know how changes near Ridgedale affect what your Minnetonka home could sell for, request a free home evaluation and we'll walk you through it.
