From what I have seen written here and from what I’ve heard both at the restaurant itself and from others that don’t post here, the service was never good and the food was never anything but mediocre.

YMMV.

Why? The food and service were sub-par and the prices were quite a bit higher than they should have been. What did you like about Jan’s that we didn’t?

As for Luxury Sweets–I’ve been there and the gelato is FANTASTIC!!!!

Restauranteurs and/or would-be restaurant investors should take particular interest in the story here as well as the parallel commentary here about Satay 2 Go just a stone’s throw away from Jan’s Brown Bag Deli.

I hope Bill will grant me the liberty to speak directly to those restauranteurs/investors for a second. Here goes:

Let me introduce myself. I am the population of folks here in the south metro that is seeking to dine out quickly, simply, and with very little demand other than a couple of things:

Please, PLEASE, PLEASE offer something I cannot easily make at home. If you insist on centering your menu around soups, salads and sandwiches, PLEASE make them interesting and/or unique in some way or offer some variety that is not easily made, or practical to make at home. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, please send SOMEONE to, at the very least, one or more of the legendary delis in the country like Katz’s in Manhattan or Langer’s in Los Angeles, or even a reasonable semi-local facsimile like Jake’s in Milwaukee. While they’re away, say the Manhattan option, send them to the Soup Kitchen International, Russ & Daughters, Zabar’s, etc. to witness the potential that thoughtful product offering can create.

If that’s not possible or practical from a cost perspective, MAKE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR STAFF MEMBERS familiarize themselves with the history and culture of the American diner, delicatessen, pizzaria, whatever it is you are trying to emulate.

Sombody, SOMEBODY please teach some deli staff how to steam and hand slice a slab of pastrami or corned beef.

We don’t want sandwiches we can assemble from the cold cut case at Cub. We don’t want to pay $5.00 for Sysco-grade soups even if you did get up at 4 a.m. to make them from scratch. Making something from scratch doesn’t magically make it great. I don’t want the same pasta salad that was next to the cold cuts at Cub.

I’ll even go so far as to offer ALL OF YOUR STAFF a ride (as many as will fit in my stereotypically suburban Toyota minivan) up to Grand Avenue in St. Paul (Cafe Latte) for the elementary education on how to make a soup, salads and sandwich joint work. We’ll stop off at the Birchwood in Minneapolis for the Masters Degree course and maybe to Punch or Pizza Nea to beg for a branch to go in somewhere in Apple Valley or Burnsville. I’ll run you by Maverick’s in Roseville, an AWESOME place based on the wonderful simplicity of THOUGHTFULLY MADE and UNIQUE roast beef sandwiches.

Or do kebabs. Whenever I visit the D.C. area, I have 8,000 quick service kebab joints to choose from within a walking distance from wherever I’m visiting. NOTE TO RESTAURANTEURS….MINNESOTANS ARE GA-GA FOR FOOD ON A STICK. HELLO!?! Every gosh damned region on this earth has SOME variety of food on a stick. Open a take-out place, similar to Chipotle, where you go down a line, select from Middle Eastern kebabs, Asian skewers, American kebabs, Fish kebabs, Veggie kebabs or whatever, offer up a couple types of rice or grilled veggies on the side, some sauces, charge $7.00 and move people through the line. It’s offers healthy options and it’s more portable than a massive Chipotle burrito or Noodles & Co.

While you’re at it, you can do what Satay 2 Go is doing to rave reviews — come out from behind the counter and INVEST in your consumer by expanding their culinary horizons a bit.

I don’t have the time or patience to mix an overnight marinade for my chicken kebab and then whip up a side of couscous with toasted pine nuts when I get home from work. I SURE AS HELL WOULD LOVE A TAKEOUT PLACE IN APPLE VALLEY TO DO IT FOR ME AND I WOULD GLADLY PAY FOR THE EFFORTS.

Unfortunately, the restauranteurs and/or would-be investors in restaurants insist on opening places to offer the same crap we can make at home or get at a million other places just up the street.

Another case in point — in Burnsville we’re getting “Jo Jo’s Rise and Wine” a coffee and wine bar with an attached meeting facility because the owners said “there’s no place like that where you can have a quiet glass of coffee or wine and chat”. WHAT THE HELL IS CHATEAU LAMOTHE/MARCEAL’S WINE BAR just down the street??? (Answer: a wine bar with quiet, comfy gathering space for conversations and an attached meeting/event facility).

Enough with coffee, sandwiches, soups and salads. Give me a neapolitan pizza place, a kebab joint, some real Chinese food, a kick ass burger joint, an honest bakery or ice cream place like Izzy’s/Pumphouse Creamery/Sebastian Joe’s or SOMETHING NEW.

ARGH. I’ve had it. Rant over.

p.s. - PLEASE people, get into Luxury Sweets next to the Brown Bag and try their gelato. This IS something different here in Apple Valley area (gelato) and they really do a good job with the product. I worry about them though because they have such a massive space and, from my experience or lack thereof, do almost ZERO marketing. They should have been out at the Ironman Bike Ride, Apple Valley 4th of July Parade, etc. I never see anything about them anywhere.

Thanks for the heads up on the closure. Unfortunately, I’m more disappointed that even though Jan herself read this thread, she didn’t make the changes to her menu, staff, and restaurant to make it as successful as it could have been.

For the record, I got a pickle EVERY TIME I went there!!!

Goodbye Jan, and Godspeed.

Hands-down the best deli in the Twin Cities: http://www.caffreysdeli.com

Three-pepper chicken and ranch gobbler are awesome. I should also say I have no affiliation with them except that every time I’m in there I ask if they would sell me franchise rights :).

On the up side, their espresso is wonderful! And from a local roasterie…

-Mike