By Sharyn Jackson

Copyright startribune

Colleen Anderson, president and co-owner of Old Southern BBQ, has heard the winter horror stories. “I don’t know what to expect,” she said. “They’ve made it sound terrible.”

Still, Anderson is hopeful that takeout traffic — including orders from Excelsior Brewing Co. next door — and a strong catering business will help. Her strategy for now: get each new customer to fall in love with their stick-to-your-ribs fare of smoked meat sandwiches, creamy macaroni and cheese, and scoops of banana pudding.

“I keep telling our team, just make a good impression now so that people still want to come back,” she said.

DeCamp has also designed his restaurants’ menus with a seasonal chill in mind: Mirabelle’s huge portions of prime rib and pasta, or Parlour’s subterranean cocktails and cheeseburgers. “Shiki is also a bit more of a wintertime thing,” he said. “Not a lot of people want to eat soup in 90-degree weather.”

But Jack Stevens, whose family has owned lakefront staple Maynards for 27 years, is optimistic the influx of new restaurants could help the town sail through the “sleepy” months. “We’re hopeful they can bring a new ambience to the town and drive some energy to this area, especially in winter,” Stevens said. “This feels like a turning point.”

To address the off-season slump, Excelsior is trying to grow its year-round population and bring in more daytime foot traffic. After the success of the new parking garage, there are more apartment units, medical offices, coworking spaces and other developments in the pipeline.