Mr. Steak, 1976

Nov. 16, 1976

This photo shows the Mr. Steak restaurant at 2120 London Road, where Burger King is located today. It looks like Burger King must have renovated, and not replaced, the old Mr. Steak building.

The caption that ran with this photo said it the building cost $700,000 and had seating for 208 diners; a lower level, with seating for another 100 to 120 people, was set to open within a year. Mr. Steak was a national chain.

On March 13, 1984, a News-Tribune article reported that the Mr. Steak building would be remodeled into "an unusual blend of Irish restaurant and Texas bar," called McLean's Irish Pub and O'Gilley's Bar. Mr. Steak's owners had filed for bankruptcy and the restaurant had closed the week before.

According to later news articles, McLean's and O'Gilley's closed in November 1984, and almost immediately reopened as McLean's Steak and Seafood and McLean's Lounge. It closed again in September 1985, then reopened again sometime in 1986, with the downstairs bar taking the name "MacLounge." A January 1987 article refers to the restaurant being closed yet again while undergoing remodeling by new owners. It was set to reopen as "J. Noreen & Co.," a fine-dining restaurant, with a sports bar called "H.B.'s" located downstairs.

That's where the trail goes cold. Does anyone know when Burger King took over the building?

Mr. Steak had at least one other location in Duluth, near Target at 2202 Maple Grove Road. That building now houses a branch of Grandma's Restaurant. Here is an uncaptioned photo from 1971 that I assume shows the Maple Grove Road Mr. Steak location:

Here is a close-up of the logo:

The Maple Grove Road Mr. Steak location was open until at least 1984; does anyone know how long it lasted?

Posted by: Andrew on 7/28/2008 at 2:00 PM | Comments (8) | Permalink