The last couple of years, New Year’s celebrations have been met with nothing but warnings: social distance, wear a mask, get takeout, etc. Not to mention the struggle it has been to find staffing. It’s been very difficult for restaurants that count on big crowds for the ultimate “going out” holiday.
Murray’s Steakhouse stuck through the pandemic and a slow return of workers to downtown Minneapolis. Now, owner Tim Murray says he's optimistic about the future of the business.
Murray says days like New Year's Eve provide a glimpse into what it used to look like, and what it will hopefully look like more often in the future of the year.
“It’s our busiest night of the year,” Murray says.
They've got a full reservation sheet for the night of festivities. They have seen an increase in customers over the last several months as Murray noticed more people downtown.
“It’s very encouraging,” Murray tells WCCO. “We're seeing more business travel coming back so that's very good as well. That helps with our weeknight business especially. But I think people want to get out and around again. We're sensing that.”
That will be on full display New Year's Eve night, which is expected to be a busy one across downtown Minneapolis.
A quick search on Open Table gave us a few options for dinner around the Twin Cities, but most of those times were either early (pre-5:00p.m.) or late (after 9:00p.m.). That was true in both downtowns, and across much of the suburbs. One option to consider if you’re looking for a last minute reservation are hotel restaurants, which usually have extra availability on holidays.
The good news for Murray’s is they’re packed. If you want that Silver Butter Knife Steak to ring in the New Year this time, you’ll need to order takeout, something Tim Murray hopes continues into 2023.
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