Longtime downtown Minneapolis eatery Walkin' Dog to close next week
MINNEAPOLIS -- After more than three decades of serving lunch in downtown Minneapolis, Walkin' Dog has announced they're shutting down. Since the announcement, faithful customers have come out to relish in the good times and say, "Franks for the memories."
For 31 years, Dave Magnuson has been the self-proclaimed Grand Poohbah of the Weenie World, serving lunch daily at the Walkin' Dog inside the Northstar Center.
Darrick Hills was one of his first customers.
"I moved here from Boston. I didn't know anybody. I was looking for places to call my usual spots and this was one of them," Hills said.
Earlier in the week, Magnuson announced his dog days would soon be over, as renovations in the center starting next month would force him to close for at least a year.
"Just upon consideration, with my age and the miles that I've put on in here, I just prefer to call it quits," he said.
The announcement of the impending closure has already caused his hot dogs to become hot commodities.
"I love hot dogs, and I've heard about this place. It's a legend. So I rallied my entire team to come down here with me for lunch today," one customer said.
"It's very humbling for me to receive the kudos that I've been getting. I don't like that. I don't seek attention. I had no idea that putting a Facebook post out there just as an FYI would do what it did," Magnuson said.
He did say he'll miss his customers most of all, but he's excited to not miss anything at home.
"We have so many summer projects. We have another grandchild on the way in August, and I'm just looking forward to having the down time to spend with the family," Magnuson said.
Walkin' Dog's last day of business will be Friday, April 21. Despite the increase in demand, Magnuson says he expects to have plenty of dogs to last until the last day.
