$680,000 buys a lot of appetizers.  It also pays a lot of back rent.  Minnesota's Mall of America is celebrating their win in court against restaurant chain Dick's Last Resort, collecting a judgement over a lease dispute in Hennepin County Court last month.

It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic may have played some role in the impasse.

According to details shared in  the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, Dick's Last Resort closed the doors to their popular restaurant during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic and never returned.  Since that time, they failed to make the necessary rent payments to fulfill their end of the lease term.

The irreverent Dick's Last Resort first opened a location in the Bloomington, Minnesota Mall of America in 2011.  Located on the fourth floor of the busy mall, it was large in scale in consideration to Dick's usual business model. The 10,000 square foot location was "part of an effort to add more sit down dining options and rejuvenate the fourth floor" of the mall.

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Business operations for Dick's continued until the COVID-19 pandemic occurred.  "Like many shopping centers around the country, the Mall of America was forced to shut its doors in mid March 2020, reopening that June as COVID-19 became more navigable".

Just like other businesses and restaurants, the restaurant was greatly affected by the shutdowns ordered by the state. According to the details of the lawsuit shared by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal:  "The restaurant abandoned the location in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened."

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The $680,000 judgement is the fifth in a recent series of lawsuit wins for the Mall of America.  Other recent judgements for the mall include one against The Void in the amount of $5.6 million, The Walking Company in the amount of $1.5 million, Street Corner News in the amount of $792,523, and Local Charm in the amount of $263,203.

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