Fergus Falls, MN – Mabel Murphy’s is under new ownership.
Mabel’s owner of the last 25 years, Jo McQuisten, has sold the restaurant to Matt Danner, Darren Krein, and Evan Burkdoll, with the paperwork being finalized Thursday (May 30th).
Danner and Krein were looking at a few different business opportunities to venture into, when they decided to reach out to McQuisten and see if she’d be interested in selling her establishment, which she surprisingly agreed to.
Danner says, “It was a good time for her and a great time for us.”
Danner, Krein, and Burkdoll will take over the operations of the restaurant beginning Tuesday (June 4th), starting right out of the gate.
Danner and Krein bring many years of experience owning local businesses, and Burkdoll, as the owner of Union Pizza and Töast, brings the restaurant, bar, and kitchen experience to the partnership.
When asked about if there will be changes to the menu or the establishment as a whole, Danner said, “We’re definitely going to change some stuff up, but we’re going to do it in steps, and get the staff onboard with everything.”
Krein added, “The energy that the staff has for wanting to expand the hours, that’s going to be a major thing that we’re going to change. We have some ideas ourselves, but we really want to get in and hear what the staff has to say.”
Mable Murphy’s (Derek Sidian, KBRF Radio News)
Darren, Krein, and Burkdoll say they want Mabel’s to be an experience, “It’s been a hub of Fergus Falls, we want it to continue to be a hub of Fergus Falls with some more energy.”
They also had many kind things to say about Jo, “She’s managed a great business, she’s got great staff, and she’s just been awesome. She’s a huge part of our community and we’re grateful to her for everything she’s done for us. We want to continue what she’s done, she’s set the bar super high and we want to take it on.”
Mabel Murphy’s was established in 1977, and has been under the ownership of Jo McQuisten since 1999.