Dakota Junction, the cozy, eclectic American restaurant nestled along the Dakota Rail Trail in Mound, will bid farewell and close its doors on Feb. 9.
“We really appreciate the community and our decision to close has nothing to do with that,” said Stephanie Bolles, who owns Dakota Junction along with her husband Matt. “We really enjoyed building this restaurant from the ground up and doing what we love, which is serving good, quality local food.”
Bolles cited several reasons that influenced the decision to close including increased water bills and difficulty finding employees after the pandemic. She also indicated that she and her husband simply want a break.
“There’s a lot of joy and a lot of stress that comes with running a business,” Bolles explained.
Dakota Junction opened in October of 2013 and was known for its fresh, locally-sourced ingredients from several neighborhood partners like Gale Woods Farm, Big Stone Gardens, and Peterson Farm.
According to Bolles, the decision to close was rather sudden. She noted that the building and equipment (but not the brand) have been sold to another restaurant company and stated that the new owners will make their own announcement when the time is right. In the meantime,