The following article by Nick Halter was published in the December 3, 2013 issue of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal:

Lake Nokomis eatery plans expanded lakeside patio

After its first summer on the shore of Lake Nokomis, Sandcastle is getting a larger, renovated patio.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will make the improvements as part of the agreement it reached with Sandcastle owners when it selected the eatery over two other vendors last year.

The plans still need board approval, but they call for covering the patio in the front and extending it toward the water’s edge. A rail would be built along the lakeside.

Seating would increase from 75 to 100, said Amy Greeley, co-owner of Sandcastle.

Greeley owns Sandcastle with her husband, chef Doug Flicker, as well as with their friend Chele Payer.

Flicker is the owner of Piccolo, a south Minneapolis restaurant.

Greeley said that despite a late start — the eatery opened in late June because of delays in getting construction permits — Sandcastle had a good first summer.

The eatery did just under $350,000 in revenue in about three months, Greeley said. The Park Board gets 12 percent of that revenue as rent for the lakeside real estate.

The Park Board hired Locus Architecture Ltd. to design the patio. That’s the same Minneapolis firm that did the building work for Sandcastle.

Sandcastle plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in February to raise money for a soft serve ice cream machine. Backers will get free cones next summer.