Don't be duped when trying to order from a favorite Rochester pizza shop
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but one recent case has a Rochester restaurant owner up in arms.
Chuck E. Cheese has started to roll out their new line of delivery and takeout food under a new name: Pasqually’s Pizza and Wings. The sudden name change on third-party delivery sites, in an apparent effort to drum up more business and distance from the Chuck E. Cheese brand name, appears separately from the chain’s original listing. (The character “Pasqually” is a fictitious chef invented by the Chuck E. Cheese brand.)
It’s confused many people looking to support local businesses in their hometown, and Rochester is no different — especially with another Pasquale already in the pizza business here. Pasquale’s Neighborhood Pizzeria took to Facebook Tuesday morning, warning customers not to fall for Chuck E.’s sudden re-brand.
“[P]lease don’t be fooled by a large franchise in town using a similar name to us,” wrote Pasquale’s. “The real surprise will arrive at your home when you order it by mistake.”
Note the various differences between the hometown Pasquale’s and the Chuck E. Cheese idea: The local Pasquale’s spells their name with one L, and doesn’t carry wings of any kind.
A search of Rochester’s Grubhub, Doordash and Seamless websites returned no results for Pasqually’s, though the real Pasquale’s said the listing was up on Grubhub early Tuesday morning. If you want to make sure you’re getting the real thing, Pasquale’s has online ordering capabilities on their website.
Silver Lake boats back on the water
Silver Lake Fun Boat and Bike Rentals is back open, now under new ownership.
Brothers Ben, Eli and Caleb Owens recently took over the business from Aaron Richard, who had operated the popular rental shop for the past 13 years.
The plan for now is to operate the business as is, Ben Owens said Tuesday. That included offering the same services and price points.
In addition to its fleet of bicycles, the rental shop offers kayaks, canoes and electric paddle boats for use on Silver Lake.
Owens said the business, which opened for the season on Monday, has put into place a safety and sanitation plan to ease customers' concerns amid the pandemic. The plan, approved by Rochester Parks and Recreation, entails staff wearing masks and sanitizing all rentals and life jackets after each use. High-touch areas will also be cleaned regularly.
Regular houses for the business are weekdays noon to 8 p.m. and weekends 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The trio of brothers also operate the inflatable water park at Foster Arend Park. However, as of now, given the closure of the beach, there are no plans to open that park this season. That could change, Owens said, depending on future guidelines from the city and state.
‘Thaw-t That Counts’ moves to next stage
Over $4,000 in grants will flow to local musicians and artists impacted by Covid-19, as the Rochester Thaw music festival moves to the next step of the ‘It’s the Thaw-t That Counts’ campaign.
The program promises to distribute either $600 or $400 to eight selected applicants, all required to prove they lost income as a result of canceled shows and tours in the wake of Covid-19. The live music industry has been brought to a standstill by the pandemic, and industry experts believe there may not be live concerts with people in attendance until 2021.
The Thaw itself was one of the first events affected by the pandemic; the second annual festival was only eight days away from its scheduled date (March 21st) when Gov. Walz issued guidelines prohibiting large gatherings. Festival director Nick Novotny said the fundraising program was borne out of a desire to help people in the same position as him and the acts scheduled to play his festival.
“Musicians, live and studio production individuals, and music teachers all play a huge role in our city's growing music scene, and we are excited to be able to help a little bit in uncertain times,” festival director Nick Novotny wrote on Facebook.
Funds for the campaign came from a GoFundMe page (which raised over $1,300), Little Thistle Brewing Co., and the Rochester Downtown Alliance. Specific grant recipients were not named.
Shrpa wins big at pitch competition
A Rochester-based startup will represent southeast Minnesota in a statewide entrepreneurial cup, after taking home the top spot in a regional Shark Tank-style pitch competition.
Shrpa, a travel website specifically designed for day trips around southeast Minnesota and greater Rochester, won the E1 Ignite Cup, a Red Wing-based pitch competition featuring five local startups. Shrpa’s first-prize winnings include $500, mentoring sessions with the pitch judges, and an automatic semifinalist berth in the MN Cup, the statewide entrepreneurial competition hosted by the University of Minnesota.
"The Minnesota Cup is an incredible opportunity for us,” said Chris Lukenbill, co-founder of Shrpa. “We put a lot of work into our presentation and building our company over the last year. Now it is time for us to double down to take advantage of the spotlight."
Lukenbill, co-founder Andy Vig, and the Shrpa team now have until August to fine-tune and tweak their pitch before the semifinalist round of pitches begins. Lukenbill says Shrpa will be up against nine other Minnesota-based startups in their division.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
