A new food hall and bar officially opened Rochester on Thursday afternoon.
The Workshop Food Hall and Bar at 1232 3rd Ave. SE in Rochester, has been in the works for more than a year, with owners Andy and Kari Friederichs calling it a “labor of love and one we hope is felt in the community.”
“Repurposing old buildings is our passion. Challenges fuel the fire,” a Facebook post announcing the opening said, noting the thoughts about the project began in 2019 and construction began in March 2020.
The Workshop Food Hall and Bar is in the former Reid Murdoch and Co. space built in the 1930s and was formerly used by Libby’s and Seneca Foods, the company says. The plan is to feature five different kitchens, a bar, a barbershop (it opened earlier this summer), and an outdoor patio.
It’s the city’s first “modern food hall” that’s set up to have a variety of food offerings from various vendors, according to the Rochester Post Bulletin. The main dining area seats 300 people, with various booths, high-top tables and cafeteria-style seating, as well as a patio that seats 100 people, part of which is dog-friendly.
There’s also the Minnesota Room, which will be used for large parties and meetings. It seats 60, Med City Beat says.
The food concepts are, according to Med City Beat: Cob’s Kitchen (soups, salads, desserts), Reid’s Pizza (Detroit-style pizza); Murdoch’s Place (burgers, hot dogs, milkshakes and malts); Birdie’s (Nashville hot chicken, chicken and waffles); and Julio’s (Mexican).
The food hall will be open Tuesday-Sunday, with plans to open two additional kitchens and offer lunch service in the future. To start, the food hall won’t offer DoorDash, online or call-in orders, with the Facebook post saying, “We will add this in once we feel our operations are running smoothly.”
