Duluth’s Canal Park – From Junkyard to Gem – Part 2 Grandma’s Restaurant opened in 1976, long before Canal Park was a tourist area. And many of us can instantly recognize Grandma Rosa Brochi, the company’s matronly mascot, wearing her floral headpiece and a sardonic smile. But, when we say “Grandma’s,” we aren’t referring to simply one restaurant. The company, which operates under the corporate name Grandma’s Restaurant Company, offers a variety of dishes served in several unique venues. The Grandma’s of today offers something for all palates, including all-American classics, local delicacies, Southwestern, Italian cuisine, and plenty of award-winning wines. The Grandma’s family has grown to include:
- Grandma’s original location in Canal Park – (opened in 1976)
- The Garden (formerly Grandma’s Sports Garden) – opened in 1989
- Grandma’s Saloon & Grill in Virginia, Minnesota (opened in 1991)
- Grandma’s Saloon & Grill on Miller Hill (opened in 1992)
- Little Angie’s Cantina & Grill (opened in 1994)
- Bellisio’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar (opened in 1997),
- Catering by Bellisio’s (added in 2021)
- Adventure Zone, opened in 2001, a place for year-round family fun in Canal Park.
The name stuck. It helped that the two were already dealing in antiques so that the restaurant could be adorned with plenty of vintage items collected from all around the area, a sweet nod to grandmothers everywhere. And what about the company’s iconic figurehead, the legend known as Grandma Rosa Brochi? The legend-filled story woven around “Grandma Rosa” is that of a stern madam working on Duluth’s waterfront red-light district. The present location of the original Grandma’s restaurant was at one time a brothel, which served the sailors of the Twin Ports. “The picture we use for Grandma Rosa may not be the original madam, but, hey … we needed to change some names and faces to protect the innocent,” noted Borg with a smile. Early Days Borg shared some interesting memories of the restaurant’s opening on Sunday, February 8th, 1976. “We were still staining woodwork the night the restaurant opened,” he shared. “We didn’t have servers at first. We were planning to be a self-serve deli with a saloon. “Customers asked for servers, so on Monday, February 9th, we got busy hiring and training servers,” he added. “And the full-service concept came to life.” People started to trickle in once word spread about the restaurant’s delicious food. So, a promotional Sunday brunch was added, followed by burger night, Mexican night, Italian night, lobster night, and spaghetti night. The promotions worked, and the trickle became a steady stream of loyal customers.
Dishes featuring Minnesota wild rice have also been extremely popular at Grandma’s. “One of my favorite local restaurants is Taste of Saigon, and my favorite dish is their fried rice,” Borg said. “I’m in there one day thinking, ‘If they can make this wonderful dish of rice, what if we created a dish substituting wild rice for the white rice? It has ended up being so successful that at one point, we were the restaurant selling the most wild rice in the entire world, and may still be today.” At Grandma’s, wild rice is used in everything from soups and side dishes to burgers. This eventually caught the attention of a very well-known enterprise. “To our surprise, the folks from Sam’s Club came calling; they wanted to package and sell our signature recipe, Grandma’s wild rice soup in their stores,” Borg explained. “This partnership continued for many years.” Growth Over the years, many additional Grandma’s locations were added to the portfolio, taking inspiration from some familiar people and places. For instance, Bellisio’s was named for the Italian village where Jeno Paulucci’s parents were born. And Little Angie’s was named for Mick’s young daughter, Angie. Over the years, many additional restaurants were added in the Twin Cities, the Carolinas, and a few other locations, but have since been sold.
And Grandma’s Marathon was so named because Grandma’s Restaurants was the original sponsor of the race. Eventually, the race became too much for the restaurant managers to oversee, and it was turned over completely to the race founder, Scott Keenan, and the non-profit organization that was formed. Grandma’s Restaurants have proudly employed over 10,000 people over the past 47 years. The business has provided jobs and hospitality skills for many, some of whom have moved on to spectacular careers in various fields. But the company appears to be a great place to build an entire career, too; many employees have a tenure of 30+ years. “We may be the oldest consecutively, locally-owned and operated restaurant business in Duluth,” Borg noted. Passion for Hospitality In 2014, Borg purchased the majority ownership from his long-term partner, Mick Paulucci. Now, nearing 50 years in the restaurant business, Borg has no plans to slow down. Besides eating at Grandma’s, Borg enjoys patronizing the locally-owned and operated food scene in the area. “I still love the classics like the Pickwick and Shamrock Pizza,” he said. Although his initial plans to become an architect changed, Borg is very proud of the Grandma’s Restaurant Company he and his team have created. “My favorite part about the restaurant business is still the people, both our customers and my fellow employees,” he said. “And I am still learning from each of those groups every day.” For more information, please visit grandmasrestaurants.com. Read Part 1 – Duluth’s Canal Park – From Junkyard to Gem here