Annie’s Parlour, a throwback burger-and-malts spot in Dinkytown that nourished many a University of Minnesota student since 1974, closed July 1.
Along with Convention Grill and the Monte Carlo, Annie’s Parlour was a cornerstone in the portfolio of John Rimarcik, the visionary Minneapolis restaurateur, who died in 2023.
“We are grateful for 50 years of business and support from the UofM community and are thankful to the hundreds and hundreds of students who worked to make it possible over the decades,” Tony Rimarcik, John Rimarcik’s son, said in a statement.
The family cited “a multitude of reasons that it was time to close,” something they had “realized over the last several months.” The owners elaborated in an Instagram post: “To put it simply, we were losing too much money.”
Annie’s Parlour (313 14th Av. SE., Mpls.) had taken a four-year hiatus, beginning in 2020 with the pandemic and undergoing necessary renovations before reopening in February 2024 under the leadership of Rimarcik’s sons, Tony and Tom.
When Annie’s Parlour returned, its original spirit and its recipes were intact. Thick single patties, cooked to medium-well on a flat-top grill, covered in gooey melted American cheese, on a squishy bun. Mounds of skin-on, hand-cut fries. And malts served in stainless-steel mixing cups, with plenty extra. A 1978 Star Tribune story about Rimarcik called him a “maltophile” for good reason.
“The whole family and Tom and I especially, were happy and fulfilled that we reopened after dad‘s death,” Tony Rimarcik wrote on Instagram.
The same malts and burgers served at Annie’s Parlour are still available at Convention Grill (3912 Sunnyside Road, Edina), and gift cards for Annie’s Parlour can be redeemed there. Many Annie’s Parlour staff have gone on to jobs there or at other restaurants in the company, including Monte Carlo and Runyon’s.
