Minnesota 'comeback' of beloved chain Steak and Ale will begin in a Burnsville hotel

Steak and Ale, the steakhouse chain that left the Twin Cities area 15 years ago, is coming back. And we now have an address.

Legendary Restaurant Brands, which also owns Bennigan's, previously announced it was reviving both brands across several states.

And the first? Steak and Ale — often credited as the inventor of the salad bar — is coming to Burnsville, specifically to the Best Western Premier Nicollet Inn at 14201 Nicollet Av. S. (The hotel will soon become Wyndham Hotel Nicollet Inn.) It will take the space now occupied by Morgan's Farm to Table.

Here are some of the details:

The new Steak and Ale will be 6,000 square feet, plus a patio. It will seat up to 225 customers and will handle all food and beverage for the hotel. The restaurant also will house a "host kitchen" for a Bennigan's.

It will also maintain Steak and Ale's signature Tudor style, "leaning into what I call 'new-stalgia,' because Americans love a great comeback story," Legendary Restaurant Brands Chairman and CEO Paul Mangiamele said in a statement. That means the salad bar and carving stations are also coming back.

The restaurant will be operated by Roy Arnold, a Kansas-based franchisee who is planning to open 15 locations in the Midwest.

Arnold has high hopes that the Burnsville Steak and Ale will set a new standard.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Burnsville becomes a new tourist mecca as Steak and Ale devotees flock to the city to satisfy their cravings for our succulent prime rib, iconic salad bar, warm rolls and other favorites," he said in the statement.

The last Twin Cities' Steak and Ale outpost was in Bloomington. It closed in 2008, along with the remaining chain-owned Bennigan's locations, when its parent company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

The restaurant chain was founded in 1966 by Texan Norman Brinker, who set out to offer an "upscale steak experience" at lower prices.

But much has changed since Steak and Ale was part of the Twin Cities restaurant landscape, and it faces a crowded market. Along with several top-notch steakhouses in the metro area, there's been a wave of supper clubs, an improved suburban dining scene and an influx of other steakhouse chains such as Texas Roadhouse.

Look for Steak and Ale 2.0 to open in Burnsville in April 2024.