ROCHESTER — Lumi, a Minneapolis restaurant with an international flair, plans to open a downtown Rochester location in the former The Well/Dooley’s Pub space. Owner Seckin Gungordu recently signed a lease to take over the 7,772-square-foot space at 255 First Ave. SW in the city-owned Minnesota Biobusiness Center.
That spot, which Powers Ventures purchased for $1.4 million in 2021, formerly housed The Well Dining restaurant as well as Dooley's Pub . Powers Ventures has been using that space as an events venue, since closing The Well in late 2023, ending an 11-month run.
ADVERTISEMENT Gungordu said that because the former Well space is already set up as a restaurant and bar, he hopes to be able to open the new Lumi soon, possibly as soon as Oct. 1. He added that he believes Lumi’s menu with a focus on international dishes infused with Mediterranean flavors will be a good fit for Rochester.
“Several customers at Lumi (in Minneapolis’ Nicollet Mall) asked us to open in Rochester,” said Gungordu. “We checked the market and we saw that there was space for our concept. That's why we decided to come to Rochester.
” While he is still working out his plans, Gungordu expects to need a team of 15 to 20 to staff the new restaurant for lunch and dinner. Rochester Realtor Jay Christenson of Loam Commercial Real Estate represented both Powers Ventures and Lumi in the deal. “There was a huge amount of interest in this space.
The Powers were very adamant that they wanted somet.