Minneapolis’ THC-focused restaurant Hi Flora has announced it will close in early December, citing financial struggles following a $7,500 fine from the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) over a variety of alleged violations.
Chef and owner Heather Klein, who opened the restaurant in July 2023, posted on Sunday that the business at 2558 Lyndale Av. S. will close Dec. 5.
“This reality has been hard to accept, especially since we’ve built a one-of-a kind safe space that’s all about plants, wellness, healing and connection without alcohol,” Klein said in her announcement on Instagram.
Hi Flora was hyped when it opened a little over a year ago for pairing vegan food with THC “tinctures” — liquid solutions that customers could either take home or add to their food or drinks. The restaurant also sold THC beverages. Klein did not sell alcohol at the restaurant, saying she wanted it to be an alternative for people who don’t drink.
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But financial hardships set in following an incident in August, she said, when a woman ingested too much THC and her party called an ambulance to the restaurant. Charlene Briner, the interim director of the OCM, said it was a “serious adverse health event.” Klein described it differently, calling the episode “a little anxiety” that subsided within 20 minutes.
The ambulance crew reported the incident to the state, which led to an investigation and seizure of some of the restaurant’s products.
“Our enforcement team responded and conducted an inspection that identified numerous noncompliant products and practices,” Briner said. She added that “this was not the first instance of complaints about this business leading to inspectors finding violations.”
