Closing Gray's
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on a Community Institution
The food industry suffered a devastating economic blow during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shops and Bar located near the Minnesota State University campus is one of the victims. Gray’s announced it will close its doors for good on Sunday, July 17, 2022, due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the closing of Gray’s will leave MSU students with one less place to grab a coffee and study in a familial atmosphere, the staff members are frustrated and crushed to leave Gray’s. Executive Chef, Pablo “PJ” Palchizaca who has been a chef at the location since the early 2000s said the closing process has been mentally straining for him. According to Palchizaca, “Suddenly, I’m going to be the one who was here the very first day, and the very last.”
Bruce Tofland sits at the bar with a moka in Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 15, 2022. Tofland has been a customer of Gray's for the past two years, ordering a moka as his regular drink. He stated that when it comes to making coffee, “They do it right.”
Executive Chef Pablo (PJ) Palchizaca reaches for a knife from the back wall in the kitchen of Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 15, 2022. Palchizaca said he will take a few weeks to recuperate after Gray’s closes before working elsewhere.
Waiter Gabriel Maida, left, and Chef Adrián González, right, discuss an order ticket at Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 15, 2022.
Chef Adrián González seasons food in a frying pan in the kitchen of Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar on July 15, 2022 in Dinkytown Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is the last weekend González will work in the kitchen at Gray’s, as the restaurant is closing on July 17.
Sam Campbell, Manager at Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar, prepares a coffee behind the bar on July 15, 2022 in Dinkytown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Campbell noted she has enjoyed learning to make new drinks and adding to her barista knowledge while working at Gray’s.
Executive Chef Pablo (PJ) Palchizaca reaches for an order receipt in the kitchen of Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 15, 2022. Palchizaca stated that his favorite meal to prepare at Gray’s is a “quick and simple” chicken dish.
Sam Campbell, Manager at Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar, waits for customers on a slow day of business at Gray’s on July 15, 2022 in Dinkytown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Campbell started at Gray’s in September of 2021. Campbell joined Gray’s in part because of the aesthetics of the building and to put her previous work experience as a barista to use. Campbell stated that she is sad that Gray’s will no longer be open, adding, “We're not as busy as we used to be, and the price of everything has gone up.”
Executive Chef Pablo “PJ” Palchizaca poses for a portrait in the kitchen of Gray’s Dinkytown Restaurant, Coffee Shop, and Bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota on July 15, 2022. Palchizaca has worked in the building since 2002 after a friend, then executive chef, invited him to be a line chef. Palchizaca describes his favorite part of being a chef there for so many years as getting to know the student employees of Gray’s from The University Of Minnesota.