Kim’s restaurant in Uptown, the latest venture of James Beard award-winning chef Ann Kim, was vandalized when someone threw a concrete slab and paint through a window.
Ann Kim’s restaurant in Uptown vandalized
A concrete slab and paint were thrown through the window overnight. Wrote Kim: “We are going to take our time to think about next steps.”
The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 9, 2024 at 12:58AM
“The challenges of our city and Uptown are large and small,” Kim posted on social media Saturday. “The physical damage can and will be fixed, but that doesn’t mean the feeling of our space being violated, and our security being threatened, doesn’t bring a new level of angst.”
She wrote the vandalism happened overnight. Both Kim’s and Bronto Bar, located behind the restaurant, were closed Saturday.
“We are going to take our time to think about next steps. While we believe in Uptown, our team, and our guests, we are shaken,” Kim wrote.
Photos and a video Kim posted on social media show a shattered pane in the restaurant’s wall of windows, with a large slab resting inside on the booth bench below. White paint is splattered through the window and shards of glass cover the bench, shelves and floor inside. A paint can appears to be lying on the sidewalk outside.
Minneapolis police responded to the property damage call around 7 a.m. Saturday. No one was inside the business at the time, police noted, and no arrests were made.
Restaurant officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Korean American restaurant, located on 31st Street near Hennepin Avenue, opened last fall in the same place as Kim’s former Mexican restaurant, Sooki & Mimi. Kim also leads Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza, Young Joni and Kyndred Hearth.
The vandalism comes during an already tumultuous moment for the eatery. A group of employees notified Kim’s management Tuesday they are looking to unionize, seeking more predictable schedules and saying they hope to improve their workplace and the restaurant industry.
If they organize, the workers would be part of the hospitality union Unite Here Local 17. The union posted a message on social media from Kim’s workers Saturday, responding to the vandalism.
“We know our city and community face many challenges and these occurrences are all too common,” workers wrote. “But we also know how strong and loving our community is. We have been overwhelmed with support in the recent weeks, as so many neighbors and friends have come in to Kim’s to encourage us in both our organizing and in our careers. Plz keep coming! Get a meal, buy a drink and keep sharing your love for us and for Uptown!”
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