Nonprofit Restaurant Opened in Minneapolis Coliseum
The new Square Roots venue aims to balance operational revenue with subsidized culinary training for young adults.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Openings & Closings
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Jared Brewington opened the nonprofit restaurant Square Roots in Minneapolis's Historic Coliseum Building in mid-September 2026. The venue operates a workforce development model that pairs commercial food service with subsidized menu pricing.
Why it matters
By decoupling workforce training wages from standard restaurant margins through philanthropic funding, this model offers a specific approach to managing labor development and community food accessibility.
Square Roots plans to host two 13-person cohorts annually, with each participant undergoing 22 weeks of instruction and kitchen training. Philanthropic grants and donations are projected to cover less than 40% of the total operation.
The players
Jared Brewington
Founder of the nonprofit restaurant Square Roots.
Square Roots
A nonprofit restaurant and workforce development program located in Minneapolis.
Historic Coliseum Building
A commercial property in Minneapolis serving as the site for the new restaurant.
The details
The restaurant functions as a nonprofit with distinct budgetary silos for food access and workforce development. While restaurant sales cover standard operational costs, outside philanthropy is used specifically to subsidize menu prices and pay trainee wages during the residency program.
Timeline
Mid-September 2026: Square Roots opened its doors.
22 weeks: Duration of the classroom and kitchen training residency.
Market Landscape
Square Roots follows the established social enterprise restaurant model by integrating vocational training into a commercial business structure. This approach tests the scalability of using commercial revenue to support targeted labor development programs in urban corridors.
Operators in the food and beverage sector should monitor the restaurant's ability to maintain self-sustaining sales while managing the cost of training residents. This model offers a potential benchmark for businesses exploring how to combine community development goals with commercial operations.
The takeaway
Square Roots demonstrates a bifurcated budget strategy that separates core commercial operations from subsidized social programming. Operators should track whether the 40% philanthropic funding target remains viable as the restaurant cycles its first cohorts through the 22-week program.
Further reading
Learn more about local business changes in the Minneapolis Openings & Closings section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Star Tribune.
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