The former TGI Fridays building on White Bear Avenue in Maplewood has changed hands for $2.2 million this week, and the new owner, a co-owner of Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall, is swapping out potato skins for pastries. The plan is to turn the longtime chain restaurant into an 85°C Taiwanese bakery and café, a brand that has become a familiar anchor in Asian food halls and shopping centers.
Deal and buyer
According to the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, Amor Zhao bought the property for $2.2 million and intends to open an 85°C Bakery Cafe at the site. The Business Journal identified Zhao as a co-owner of Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall and reported the basic terms of the sale.
What 85°C would bring
85°C Bakery Cafe is a Taiwanese chain known for its self-serve pastry wall, cakes and a signature sea-salt iced coffee that tends to inspire repeat visits. The company operates hundreds of stores worldwide and dozens in the United States, according to Wikipedia, and it often serves as a key tenant in mall food corridors and Asian markets.
Asia Mall connection
Zhao’s involvement with Asia Mall, the large Eden Prairie food and market complex that opened in recent years, helps explain the choice of tenant. The mall has grown into a regional hub for bubble tea, bakeries and specialty Asian restaurants, with local coverage noting how it has become a focal point for new Asian food businesses in the Twin Cities and a regular draw for shoppers from across the metro.
Why this matters for Maplewood
Turning a shuttered national chain restaurant into an international bakery mirrors a broader shift in the casual dining landscape, after TGI Fridays’ parent company filed for Chapter 11 and has sold or closed many U.S. locations, according to AP. The Maplewood building sits along White Bear Avenue at the heart of the city’s retail strip, and online listings show the former Fridays address as 3087 White Bear Ave N, positioning a national bakery brand in a busy shopping corridor, per MapQuest.
Next steps
No opening date has been announced. The project will still need city permits and a full build-out before the ovens get fired up. The initial reporting on the sale and Zhao’s bakery plans came from the Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. We will keep an eye on permit filings and local announcements as the Maplewood makeover moves ahead.
