Dec. 5, 2022

There are few days off when you own a restaurant.

Especially if it’s one of few – or the only – bar and grill in a community.

In Lennox, it’s literally called The Only One Bar and Grill, owned by Lenny Lawrence who left behind his career as a Hy-Vee meat manager to pursue his business dream.

Lawrence died of liver cancer in 2017, but his widow, Jill, continued the business in his legacy.

Now nearing retirement age herself, she decided to put The Only One up for sale, but “she’d still like it to be a restaurant-bar, so we’re marketing it as a restaurant-bar, and it’s in great shape,” said Gregg Brown of NAI Sioux Falls.

It’s one of several area bars and restaurants where life changes are leading to business changes as many existing businesses or former restaurant spaces are on the market. Many are profitable businesses with owners who plan to continue running them as they look for a successor.

At The Only One, “it’s a turnkey operation,” Brown said. “We’ve had probably three or four different bar operations look at it. They’ve expanded and renovated it … and the bar is very much part of the community. It’s right on Main Street and one of those places that’s got the dart league and the pool league, and it’s where everyone gathers.”

NAI also has The End Zone Bar & Grill in Salem and the Freeman Bar & Cafe in Freeman on the market.

Brown compares many of them to when he sold the Tea Steak House, now part of Boss’ Pizza & Chicken.

“With these listings, you’re buying a job,” he said. “Whoever is going to come in and buy it, they’re literally buying themselves a job, so it takes a special person.”

It’s a similar situation in Brandon, where 212 The Boiling Point changed hands in 2019 and now is on the market again.

The owner “has been in the industry for a while and just wants to explore different ventures. The business itself is successful, and the numbers look good on it,” said listing agent Greg Doohen of Keller Williams Realty Sioux Falls. “We blasted it all over social media, and we have had quite a bit of interest.”

The restaurant recently had a complete remodel, he added.

“They have a ton of regulars. Brandon is a close-knit community, and it’s grown so fast with the school district. I think it would be a good opportunity for somebody.”

In Sioux Falls, the owners of Falls Landing Bar & Grill also are ready to move on from the restaurant business.

“They’ve owned it for a while, and it’s not their primary business,” listing broker Scott Blount of Lloyd Cos. said. “During the COVID lockdown when people shut down in the spring of 2020, they went in and remodeled the dining room and made it fresher with lighter colors, and it looks good.”

The restaurant and bar inside the Country Inn & Suites has a full kitchen and a standout patio, he added.

“They’ve got a great patio on the bike trail. It’s really nice,” Blount said. “They just decided they want to move in a different direction, and they want to get out of the business, but it’s a profitable restaurant.”

Blount also is finding traction selling or leasing vacant restaurant spaces.

In Huron, he recently put a former Ground Round under contract to sell as a new restaurant.

In Sioux Falls, the former Cody’s Smokehouse BBQ is listed for lease, and Blount is working on a deal for it.

“I’ve also got a restaurant in Flandreau called Fajitas that’s listed for sale — it’s a Mexican restaurant — and I have The Hub drive-in in Slayton, Minnesota, listed,” he said. “It’s a seasonal restaurant, eight months out of the year, with burgers, malts, sodas, hot beef sandwiches — close to Lake Shetek.”

Other vacant restaurants in Sioux Falls include the former Buffalo Wild Wings near the Denny Sanford Premier Center and the former Old Chicago near The Empire Mall.

When Fuddruckers announced its closure last month, listing broker Autumn Kaufhold of Van Buskirk Cos. had immediate interest.

“I just showed it again (last week), and it’s been fun,” she said. “Having a space on 41st Street is hot, especially for a restaurant.”

She has the Main Street Cafe & Market in Chamberlain for sale.

“She’s been in the business 22 years and wants to be a grandma and move to Sioux Falls,” Kaufhold said of the owner. “It’s newly remodeled, and it’s a great restaurant and opportunity for someone within that area.”

In classic small-town fashion, Kaufhold even blanketed the community with flyers advertising the listing.

And as she markets some restaurant opportunities, Kaufhold also is helping prospective buyers.

“I’m looking for an existing restaurant and bar for a couple out of Minneapolis,” she said. “They just want to get into a small-town bar, and there are a lot of those for sale.”