Porter’s restaurant closing for renovation and rebranding

Porter’s restaurant announced today it will temporarily close on May 30 and reopen with a new name, look and menu. The $1 million restaurant renovation project coincides with broader revitalization efforts by Lion Hotel Group, which owns Porter’s, the Duluth Holiday Inn & Suites and the shopping and office complex that contains them — Holiday Center. Construction at the restaurant is expected to start in June.

More details about the re-opening date and new restaurant brand will be announced in future months.

Porter’s has been in business in the Holiday Center, 207 W. Superior St., for over 30 years. It has maintained a low profile over the past decade, primarily serving hotel guests.

“We are excited to begin our next chapter of serving Duluthians with this significant restaurant transformation,” Gerry Goldfarb, general manager of the Holiday Inn & Suites Duluth, said in a news release. “Through a major renovation and repositioning, we will provide Duluth and our hotel guests with a fresh new dining option. Duluth is undergoing major changes and improvements, and we are changing along with it to meet the evolving needs of today’s dining customers. We look forward to sharing the details of the new restaurant, theme and menu with the community in the months ahead.”

Over the past four years, Lion Hotel Group has invested $6 million in renovation projects which have transformed the Holiday Inn & Suites and Holiday Center facilities. These efforts include:

• A full renovation of all guest rooms, suites and public areas in the Holiday Inn & Suites.
• Relocating and expanding the Greenery Café and Bakery in the Holiday Center.
• Building out the 5,000-square foot Lyric Conference Center in the Holiday Center, which opened in September 2016.
• Creating a 5,000-square foot office for Visit Duluth in the Holiday Center, which is currently underway.

Lion Hotel Group, a division of Labovitz Enterprises, owns and operates hotels in Duluth, Hermantown, Bloomington and four locations outside Minnesota.