Minneapolis Downtown Council aims to land Michelin Guide

The Minneapolis Downtown Council is looking to bring the Michelin Guide to Minneapolis by 2035 as part of its larger plan to revitalize downtown as it continues rebounding from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bringing the Michelin Guide to Minneapolis will allow local restaurants to earn Michelin stars and be featured in the guide, which is arguably the world's most influential list of restaurants. Being featured in the guide would in turn increase visitors to downtown Minneapolis and generate business beyond just the restaurants, Duininck said.

While the specifics of how it will carry out the plan have not yet been disclosed, it would likely involve money. Local and state tourism boards often pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to help fund visits from Michelin reviewers.

That effort is among the Downtown Council's 2035 plan that Adam Duininck, the organization's CEO, previewed at a Financial Executives International Twin Cities event Wednesday.

Duininck said the 2035 plan also will be focused on bolstering public safety, improving accessibility to downtown, connecting the various neighborhoods, and growing it as a destination beyond weekday workers.

"How do we make downtown not just feel like the central business district? How do we weave the entire sets of neighborhoods … where it's not just jobs here and housing there or retail in this node, but how do we have mixed-uses in more places?" Duininck asked.

Another 2035 goal for the council is to turn Minneapolis into the best winter city in the world, which would include establishing a permanent ice-skating rink at Gateway Park, located a block from the Mississippi River on Hennepin Avenue. He added the 2035plan will aim to turn Nicollet Avenue into a pedestrian mall and redevelop the riverfront post office building.

During the FEI Twin Cities event, Meet Minneapolis CEO Melvin Tennant also outlined his organization's Destination Minneapolis plan, which is expected to come out in early 2025.

Tennant said there are six big ideas driving the plan: