Hurricane Grill & Wings Opens in Burnsville

Hurricane Grill & Wings, a family restaurant with a tropical surf theme, debuted in Minnesota this week, opening its first location in Burnsville.

The restaurant, 2950 Aldrich Ave. S., opened for business Monday morning to a line of several people, said store general manager Troy Benesh. The restaurant's launch "was very, very good," he added. "A lot of people from the neighborhood had been patiently waiting for us to open."

The Hurricane building was formerly home to a Hooters restaurant and bar. The restaurant's officials are planning to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 10. 

Hurricane Grill is a "laid-back restaurant" featuring a tropical surf theme with a wide menu, which includes appetizers, salads, wings, tacos and steaks, Benesh said. 

“We saw a really great opportunity to expand Hurricane Grill & Wings to Minnesota,” Mitch Peterson, president of Torgerson Properties Inc., said recently in a statement to Twin Cities Business. “Minnesota is full of wings fans.”

According to recent news releases from the company, the Burnsville location will be the first of 17 stores in Minnesota, representing a small part of an aggressive expansion plan that will ultimately bring the restaurant to Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Altogether, the company plans to open 65 new locations.

Benesh said that Hurricane Grill plans to open its second Minnesota restaurant in Minnetonka. 

Since its inception in 1995, Hurricane Grill has opened reataurants in, among other places, Arizona, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania in addition to its home state of Florida. It operates in more than 45 U.S. locations.