A restaurant that’s operated in Minneapolis’ North Loop for less than two years old is completely changing its menu in a last-gasp bid to keep its doors open.
Salt & Flour is in the process of overhauling its food and drink menus to a small plate format, with no item over $15, including pizzas, pastas, and glasses of wine.
The Italian restaurant opened in October 2024 within the mixed-use North Loop Green development directly across from Target Field.
“For the last year, I’ve thrown everything I know at making Salt & Flour in the North Loop Green work,” owner Brian Ingram writes in a Tuesday social media post. “We’ve had some wins, but financially it’s been crushing.
“I’ve known for a while what we were doing, for some reason, just wasn’t working… as my business partner likes to say—if nothing changes… nothing changes.”
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Photo courtesy of Salt & Flour.
Ingram also owns The Gnome Craft Pub in St. Paul and Hope Breakfast Bar, a fast-growing brunch spot with almost a dozen locations across the Twin Cities, including next to Salt & Flour.
He previously operated the Apostle Supper Club near Grand Casino Area but closed the restaurant last spring, citing challenges facing downtown St. Paul.
“When you’re a restaurant guy, giving up is not an option,” Ingram’s post reads. “We risk our future with every restaurant, with every move we make.”
“Time to increase our quality, have fun with what we’re doing, and give a great value so more guests can come more often.”
Salt & Four’s menu switchover officially happens on Monday, May 4, with Ingram saying the new format is “100% based on my two weeks touring Italy… and a lifetime spent in the kitchen.”
Rising inflation and unemployment continues to heap pressure on working and middle class consumers, but the situation for the restaurant industry in the Twin Cities was exacerbated over the winter by the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge, which led to a drastic reduction in dining out.
This story was originally published by Bring Me The News on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Lifestyle section. Add Bring Me The News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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