Salut Bar Americain closing soon, following departure of nearby Grand Avenue retailers

Jared Kaufman, Pioneer Press
Updated ·3 min read

Salut Bar Americain, a longtime brasserie-style French spot on Grand Avenue, is set to close by Jan. 8.

Reduced traffic because of other nearby closures along St. Paul’s premier shopping street played into the decision, according to management.

Parasole Restaurant Holdings, which runs Salut locations in St. Paul and Edina, plus other restaurants including Manny’s Steakhouse and Good Earth, has decided not to renew the Grand Avenue lease when it expires in January.

“We found that our other stores were supplementing this store, and with prices going up across the board, we couldn’t make sense of it anymore,” said Parasole chief operating officer Donna Fahs. “As I said to the staff… every time we open the door, we lose money.”

In St. Paul, Salut Bar Americain was known for its spacious patio and accessible French-inspired menu. The restaurant opened on Grand Avenue in 2008 in the former Sidney’s space. Salut’s first location, in the 50th and France area of Edina, opened in 2005. At the time, Parasole also operated buzzy Twin Cities restaurants like Chino Latino and Figlio.

Fahs said several factors contributed to the closure, including rapidly increasing food costs and a series of other recent or upcoming business closures along Grand Avenue, including Anthropologie and Pottery Barn. With fewer vibrant retail options nearby, Fahs said, Salut was seeing much lower foot traffic.

Out-of-state landlord

Buildings along this stretch of Grand, including the one housing Salut, are owned by the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, a pension fund based in Columbus.

Over the past few years, tenants in STRS Ohio-owned buildings have been steadily closing, raising concerns among neighborhood advocates. Fahs criticized out-of-town landlords like STRS Ohio for failing to provide relief to local businesses like Salut during the pandemic.

“It makes a difference having landlords that are in the community, that understand what’s going on in the community,” she said.

Parasole is working to find other positions within the company for Salut’s St. Paul employees, some of whom have been at the restaurant since it opened in 2008, Fahs said — but, because the winter season tends to be much slower for restaurants, options are “limited.” Employees who leave have been offered severance benefits, she said.

While Salut hopes to remain open until the official Jan. 8 closing date, the restaurant may end up shutting its doors earlier if staffing levels don’t remain consistent, Fahs said.

Salut Bar Americain’s Edina location will remain open. Gift cards to any Parasole restaurant are honored at all of the company’s brands, Fahs said, so Salut gift cards can also be used elsewhere.

Diners with Salut reservations in January and onward are being contacted this week, Fahs said. Those with questions can call the restaurant at 651-917-2345.

“Could we have stumbled along, hoped for the best? We can’t take that chance,” she said. “And that’s really sad.”

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