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   Martino Virgillo grew up emulating the work ethic of his Italian   
   immigrant family — which worked well when he collaborated with his   
   mother on family recipes and opened Sorrento Cucina Due.   
      
   These days, the long, hard hours are a necessity instead of a choice   
   to keep his business open. Since the pandemic and a sluggish return   
   to downtown offices, he has fewer employees. He also had to move to   
   the CenturyLink building, closing his Northstar Center location   
   because of building renovations there.   
      
   "I'm OK, just because I'm doing a lot of it myself," Virgillo said.   
   "I don't have four employees like I did."   
      
   In the past three years, drastic transformations to downtown   
   Minneapolis have forced local business owners such as Virgillo to   
   tweak their business models. Bustling lunch breaks and lively happy   
   hours at downtown restaurants are still a distant memory for many as   
   hybrid work and shorter days at the office take hold.   
      
   Mondays and Fridays present the greatest challenge, as that is when   
   the skyways are still nearly empty.   
      
   Taking it day by day   
      
   Because the number of customers downtown on any given day differs   
   greatly because of hybrid work, it's hard for businesses such as the   
   Local and Kieran's Irish Pub to staff accordingly, said Valid   
   Serhan, president of Cara Irish Pubs, which owns the two downtown   
   restaurants.   
      
   And when special occasions or events aren't happening on a given   
   night, it's more challenging to stay profitable.   
      
   "We do feel the pinch when there's no conventions or events," Serhan   
   said. "It's just hard to replace that number of people."   
      
   Once in a while, after a big game or convention, Serhan feels the   
   same energy as pre-pandemic Minneapolis.   
      
   "There was a big convention and I was talking to people in the pub   
   and they were like, 'We love this city.' " he said. "It was good to   
   know. It was like nothing happened, you know? You love to hear   
   that."   
      
   Especially for skyway businesses, with Monday and Friday business   
   noticeably thinner still, managers and owners say they have had to   
   get creative.   
      
   Sorrento Cucina has cut its menu in half. Gray Fox Coffee, with   
   three locations in downtown office buildings, has trimmed staffing   
   on Mondays and Fridays and reduced open hours.   
      
   For an industry with slim margins, a drop of even 10% can be fatal.   
      
   Still, Chris Bjorling, owner of Gray Fox, said that business is back   
   up to 80% of pre-pandemic levels. Owners of Sorrento Cucina and   
   Murray's steakhouse said their revenue is about 70% of what it was   
   during 2018 and 2019.   
      
   Bustling lunch breaks and lively happy hours at downtown restaurants   
   are still a distant memory for many as hybrid work and shorter days   
   at the office take hold.   
   Barren spaces   
      
   Weekend traffic is not making up for the loss of weekday revenue   
   either.   
      
   "There was a time when downtown was the place to go," said Tim   
   Murray, owner of Murray's, a staple restaurant that opened in   
   Minneapolis 77 years ago. "It was first in many people's minds when   
   looking for something to do, and that's changed a little bit the   
   last two years."   
      
   The next step, Murray said, is to make downtown a more appealing   
   place for locals to visit, while perceived safety concerns and   
   entertainment options in the suburbs make people more hesitant to   
   come downtown.   
      
   https://www.startribune.com/even-with-changes-downtown-minneapolis-   
   skyway-businesses-continue-to-feel-the-pinch-pandemic-   
   covid/600295656/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)