Proposed Bingo Hall Could Occupy Michael’s Restaurant
ST. CLOUD -- The Minnesota Fishing Museum has it's eyes on a St. Cloud restaurant as a location for a new bingo hall.
Fishing Museum CEO Jeff Doty says they are in negotiations with the owner of Michael's Restaurant to put a bingo hall at that location.
"We're trying to do two things at the same time. One is to work out a leasing arrangement and the second is to become permitted by the St. Cloud City Council. We're hoping that becomes a streamline process," says Doty.
Doty says they have applied for a charitable gambling permit through the city of St. Cloud and are hoping to get the permit and finalize a lease as soon as possible. He says they see a bingo hall as a good revenue stream to support the museum's mission.
"We have several pull-tab sites we use to sustain the organization and we have lost some of those over the past year. So we need to put in something else in to replace that revenue stream," says Doty.
Michael's is located at 510 Highway 10 South. Owner Heinrich Wurdak says Michael's isn't closed yet.
"Everything is true what you hear but nothing is set on paper yet," says Wurdak.
Wurdak says as he gets older, he's thinking more about getting out of the restaurant business.
"I still will be around, I plan on volunteering. But these 12-16 hour days are getting on me," says Wurdak.
Wurdak says a lease for the building hasn't been finalized and he continues to operate Michael's until a deal is finalized.
The museum has been looking to open a bingo hall in the St. Cloud area and shifted its focus to the Michael's location after a Waite Park building was determined not to be a good fit.