Wise Acre Eatery

What Wise Acre Eatery does

Wise Acre Eatery is a single-location farm-to-table restaurant operating at 5401 Nicollet Avenue South in the South Minneapolis neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily from 8am to 3pm on a walk-in, first-come-first-served basis, with no reservations accepted. The business is operationally and structurally integrated with Tangletown Gardens, a 140-acre regenerative farm located 45 minutes away in Plato, Minnesota, which is co-owned by the restaurant's founders, Scott Endres and Dean Engelmann. Approximately 85% of the food served at the restaurant is grown on this farm, including vegetables, herbs, and pasture-raised meats (cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys) raised without hormones or toxic chemicals.

The core product surface consists of three in-store formats — the Restaurant (dine-in), the Deli (heat-and-serve prepared foods), and the Market (DIY meal ingredients) — supported by an online Farm Direct Marketplace (tangletowngardens-farmdirect.com), a 16-week CSA subscription program with optional add-on shares (coffee, mushroom, bread, cheese), private events and catering, and an annual signature Harvest Dinner event priced at $200 per person. Ordering is fulfilled via a Square e-commerce storefront for pickup, plus on-site retail. Chef Dan Schmit, a former mechanical engineer, leads the culinary team and integrates the restaurant with the farm's production calendar.

Revenue is generated entirely through direct-to-consumer channels — daily restaurant sales, deli/market retail, CSA subscription fees, gift card sales (physical and e-gift from $10 to $200), private event bookings, and the Harvest Dinner. The company is privately held by its two co-founders with no evidence of external investment, operates with approximately 6 employees, and has remained at a single restaurant location since 2012. Local Minneapolis beverage and bakery suppliers (Pryes Brewing, Sweetland Orchard, Heirloom, Kopplin's Coffee, Northern Soda, Baker's Field) round out the menu beyond farm-sourced ingredients.

Name

Wise Acre Eatery

Legal name

Wise Acre Eatery

Website

https://wiseacreeatery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wise Acre Eatery is a single-location farm-to-table restaurant in South Minneapolis, serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch from a co-founder-owned 140-acre regenerative farm in Plato, Minnesota. It offers dine-in, deli, market, CSA subscriptions, and private events to local consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Farm-to-Table Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm-to-Table & Contemporary American Restaurants (THAFACAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm-to-Table & Agritourism Dining Experiences (Farm Visits, Harvest Meals) (THAJAGAK)

Keywords

• Farm-to-table restaurant
• Regenerative agriculture dining
• Community supported agriculture
• Private event catering
• Farm direct marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Full-service farm-to-table dining experience serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily with farm-fresh ingredients grown on-site. Kitchen hours 8am-3pm daily.
2. Deli Operations: Heat and serve provisions from the kitchen, offering prepared foods for customers to take home. Market & Deli Hours: Sunday & Monday 8am-3pm, Tuesday-Saturday 8am-6pm.
3. Farm Direct Marketplace: Sells seasonal vegetables, meats, eggs, and provisions through the Tangletown Gardens Farm Direct online store with pickup at Wise Acre (Tuesdays & Thursdays) or at the farm (Thursdays).
4. Private Events & Catering: Caters private celebrations with coursed or family-style dinners in dining room, outdoor area, or entire space. Seasonal menus available (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter).
5. Harvest Dinner Events: Annual signature Harvest Dinner event featuring 5+ course meal with wine or alcohol-free pairing, gratuity, and tax included at $200 per person.
6. Gift Cards: Gift cards available in physical (mailed via USPS for $1 shipping) or e-gift card format for any amount starting at $10.
7. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture): 16-week CSA shares (weather permitting) of in-season produce, plus optional Coffee, Mushroom, Bread, and Cheese shares. Pickup available at Wise Acre.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wise Acre Eatery is a farm-to-table restaurant in South Minneapolis serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily, with approximately 85% of its food grown on its own 140-acre regenerative farm (Tangletown Gardens) in Plato, Minnesota. The business operates three core formats—a dine-in restaurant, a deli offering heat-and-serve prepared foods, and a market for DIY meal ingredients—supplemented by a CSA subscription program, farm direct online marketplace, private event catering, and an annual Harvest Dinner event.

Product overview

Wise Acre Eatery operates a farm-to-table restaurant business with three core offerings: the Restaurant (dine-in breakfast, brunch, and lunch service), the Deli (heat-and-serve prepared foods), and the Market (DIY meal ingredients). The company is supported by complementary services including Farm Direct Marketplace and CSA subscription programs through Tangletown Gardens, Private Events catering with seasonal menus, and the annual Harvest Dinner signature event. Gift cards and community fundraisers round out the service portfolio. Approximately 85% of food served is grown on their 140-acre regenerative farm in Plato, Minnesota, 45 minutes from Minneapolis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wise Acre Restaurant Farm-to-fork dine-in restaurant serving breakfast (Monday-Friday 8am-11am), brunch (weekends 8am-3pm), and lunch (Monday-Friday 11am-3pm) with farm-fresh ingredients, approximately 85% of which are grown on the founders' 140-acre regenerative farm in Plato, Minnesota. First-come, first-served; no reservations accepted.
• Wise Acre Deli Heat-and-serve prepared foods prepared in the Wise Acre kitchen for takeout, using ingredients sourced from the founders' regenerative farm.
• Wise Acre Market DIY meal ingredient section selling farm-sourced groceries and provisions for customers to prepare at home. Open Sunday-Monday 8am-3pm and Tuesday-Saturday 8am-6pm.
• Tangletown Gardens Farm Direct Marketplace Online platform for purchasing farm produce, pasture-raised meats, eggs, and provisions directly from Tangletown Gardens. Orders can be picked up at Wise Acre (Tuesdays and Thursdays) or at the Plato farm (Thursdays).
• CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Shares 16-week (weather permitting) subscription program delivering in-season, freshly picked produce, with optional add-on shares for coffee, mushrooms, bread, and cheese. Pickup available at Wise Acre.
• Private Events Catering Custom celebration catering with coursed or family-style dinners available in the restaurant's dining room, outdoor area, or entire space. Seasonal menus offered for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter events; bookings coordinated via [email protected].
• Harvest Dinner Event Annual signature event showcasing the height of harvest season with a 5+ course meal, wine or alcohol-free pairing, gratuity, and tax included at $200 per person. Brings together the Wise Acre and Tangletown Gardens teams to showcase local food, flowers, and hospitality.
• Gift Cards Physical and e-gift cards available for any amount starting at $10 (preset denominations from $10 to $200). Physical gift cards are mailed via USPS for $1 shipping.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of restaurant food is farm-grown

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Community DrivenminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 August 2026Community Driven collects food donations from restaurants & grocery stores and redistributes to local food shelves. Wise Acre hosted a Foodshare Fundraiser event on August 20th featuring brunch for dinner, live music, and face painting. Since May 2019, Community Driven has saved over $1 million of edible food.
• Tangletown Gardens FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTangletown Gardens is the 140-acre regenerative farm owned by Wise Acre founders Scott Endres and Dean Engelmann. The farm supplies approximately 85% of the food served at the restaurant. Located at 11407 County Road 9, Plato, MN 55370. The farm grows produce, herbs, and raises cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys using regenerative agriculture practices without hormones or toxic chemicals.
• Pryes BrewingminorOthersLocal Minneapolis brewery supplying beers including Miraculum, Pilsner, Mass Haze-Teria, Royal Raspberry Sour, and Peace Offering Stout at $8.50-$9.50 per pint.
• Sweetland OrchardminorOthersLocal cidery supplying Hot Cider for the drinks menu.
• Kopplin's TraditionalminorOthersCoffee supplier providing Traditional coffee for bottomless cup service and Cold Press coffee drinks.
• Northern Soda CompanyminorOthersLocal soda company supplying cola, root beer, black cherry, and orange sodas.
• HeirloomminorOthersLocal cidery supplying Milk & Honey Cider.
• Baker's FieldminorOthersLocal bakery supplying buns and bread for sandwiches including Baker's Field buns and Goodwich bread.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Broad incumbents

• True Food Kitchen: Multi-location national restaurant concept emphasizing seasonal, sustainably-sourced menus — relevant comparable for the broader farm-forward/health-forward casual dining category though a wider-portfolio operator.
• Founding Farmers: National farm-to-table restaurant group operating multiple locations with a co-op-owned sourcing model — comparable at the broad 'farm-to-table dining' category level, but at significantly greater scale.

Others

• Tangletown Gardens: Sister/related business also owned by the Wise Acre co-founders, operating the 140-acre regenerative farm that supplies ~85% of the restaurant — most directly comparable farm operator even though non-competing.

Direct peers

• Brasa Premium Rotisserie: Minneapolis restaurant group built around locally-sourced, sustainable ingredients with multiple locations — comparable model of farm-forward casual dining at slightly larger scale.
• Common Roots Cafe: Minneapolis farm-to-table cafe serving breakfast and lunch with a strong community/local-sourcing identity — directly comparable all-day casual farm-to-table format.
• Spoon and Stable: Minneapolis chef-driven restaurant sourcing heavily from local producers — comparable Twin Cities farm-to-table premium dining peer for benchmarking pricing, event programming, and cocktail/farm-source mix.
• The Bachelor Farmer: Minneapolis farm-to-table restaurant pairing a North-Minneapolis farm (Rustica) with downtown dining — directly comparable Northstar-region farm-to-table operator with private event capability.
• Corner Table: Minneapolis farm-to-table neighborhood restaurant operating a private-event-forward, locally-sourced dinner model — adjacent format to Wise Acre's restaurant + catering mix.
• Birchwood Cafe: Minneapolis farm-to-table community cafe sourcing from local producers, serving breakfast/lunch with a similar commitment to transparency and South Minneapolis-area community orientation.
• Tilia: Minneapolis chef-driven neighborhood restaurant emphasizing seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients — comparable farm-forward dining model in the same Twin Cities market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tangletowngardens
• Instagraminstagram.com/tangletowngardens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wise-acre-eatery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wise Acre Eatery