An international Twin Cities restaurant opens a Rochester location in the former Well/Dooley’s space – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER —

Lumi, a Minneapolis-based international-flavored restaurant, plans to open a downtown Rochester location in the former space of The Well/Dooley’s Pub.

owner Seckin Gungordu recently signed a lease to take over the 7,772 square meter space at 255 First Ave. SW in the city-owned

Minnesota Biobusiness Center. This place, which

Powers Ventures bought the formerly housed

The Well Dining restaurant and #18 of 21 places to eat in Dooley.

Powers Ventures has been using this space as an event venue since it closed The Well in late 2023 after 11 months.

Gungordu said that since the former Well’s space is already set up as a restaurant and bar, he hopes to open the new Lumi soon, possibly as early as Oct. 1. He added that he believes Lumi’s menu, with a focus on international dishes with Mediterranean flavors, will be a good fit for Rochester.

“Several Lumi customers (at Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis) asked us to open in Rochester,” Gungordu said. “We looked at the market and found there was room for our concept, so we decided to come to Rochester.”

While he is still finalizing his plans, Gungordu expects he will need a team of 15 to 20 people to staff the new restaurant for lunch and dinner.

Rochester real estate agent Jay Christenson of Clay commercial properties represented both Powers Ventures and Lumi in the deal.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

“There was a huge amount of interest in this space. The Powers really wanted something unique… something special for downtown,” Christenson said.

Lumi, which uses the motto “food for everyone,” describes its menu as bringing more than 10 different cuisines to the table, including flavors from Turkey, Italy, Greece, India, Egypt, Lebanon and France.

The menu ranges from kebabs, babaganoush and hummus to pasta dishes, burgers and pizza.

“While we stay true to the original recipes for some dishes, we also offer unique interpretations of others,” Lumi says on its website.

President of Powers Ventures Nick Powers believes Lumi will be a great addition to downtown Rochester.

“We’ve just been really impressed with this group and the way they work, and I think this is going to be a cool thing for downtown,” he said. “We’re looking forward to filling the space.”

Although the space is in a high-traffic area, there were some challenges. The legendary Rochester bar owner Tom Murphy

opened Dooley’s Pub there in 2010. It closed in 2021. The Rochester City Council soon approved a plan to sell the space to Powers Ventures as a type of commercial housing, while the rest of the eight-story building remains owned by the city.

Powers extensively modernized and renovated the facility to open The Well Dining, a family-run restaurant, in February 2023. It closed as a restaurant just 11 months later.

“Personally, I joke that I got a master’s degree in business administration from this. Of course, there were many challenges,” said Nick Powers. “Whatever happens, you have the choice to look at it either optimistically or pessimistically. Do I regret doing it? No.”

Powers Ventures has used the space for special catered events since The Well closed.