Bello Cucina to close

After more than 14 years of serving the St. Joseph community, Bello Cucina Italian Steakhouse has decided to close its doors.

Located on Minnesota Street in downtown St. Joseph, owner and master chef Jason Mueller announced the closure of Bello Cucina via Facebook on Oct. 24. He explained that he planned to step away from the restaurant business by the end of the year. In the statement shared on Bello Cucina’s Facebook, Mueller reflected on his time serving the community and thanked customers for their continued support.

“After 20 years of doing what I love, the time has come to hang up my apron and begin a new chapter in life,” Mueller wrote.

Mueller first entered the restaurant business after earning a culinary degree and deciding he wanted to operate a business of his own. He opened his first restaurant in Morris, Minn., in 2006, followed by a second location in Fergus Falls in 2008.

St. Joseph became his third location in 2012. Having graduated from St. John’s Preparatory School in 1989, Mueller was familiar with the area. He said that Millstream Shops and Lofts was looking for an independent, locally owned restaurant to occupy the space.

“I was intent on bringing good food and service to an area that was somewhat void of anything but corporate chains down the road in St. Cloud,” Mueller said via email.

Over the following years, Bello Cucina expanded to additional locations in Spicer and Marshall in 2014 and Alexandria in 2015.

However, the restaurant’s expansion slowed following a heart attack Mueller experienced in 2017. He said the experience prompted him to reconsider the pace of his work and the demands of managing multiple restaurants.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented another challenge. Mueller said the hospitality industry lost hundreds of thousands of employees during the pandemic, many of whom never returned to restaurant work. Rebuilding his workforce became one of the greatest challenges of continuing the business.

Around 2021 and 2022, Mueller rebranded the St. Joseph location from primarily a pizza and pasta restaurant into an Italian steakhouse. The updated menu emphasized quality cuts of meat and seafood while retaining pizza and pasta as staples.

Ultimately, Mueller’s decision to retire came down to both personal and financial considerations.

“Growing older, I decided to sell my last remaining location in St. Joseph which was a leased property, with 11 years of being the best Italian restaurant in Central Minnesota,” Mueller said.

Mueller said he had found a local buyer interested in purchasing the restaurant and continuing the Bello Cucina brand. However, according to Mueller, when it came time to renew his lease, he learned that a new lease would not be offered. Instead, he would need to purchase the space, which was listed for $1.3 million.

Mueller said he offered $1 million in hopes of securing the property, but the offer was rejected. The potential buyer was unable to make the investment, and the sale fell through.

With his lease scheduled to end Dec. 31, Mueller said he did not see himself taking on another 25- year mortgage at 55 years old. After more than 20 years in the restaurant business, he decided it was time to retire.

Bello Cucina was also an opportunity to become part of the St. Joseph community, according to employee and SJU senior Jack Klein.

Klein worked at the restaurant for almost two years, beginning as a host before moving through food running, bartending and serving positions and eventually becoming a supervisor. Its proximity to campus initially made the restaurant an appealing place to work.

“I ended up working there because I was looking for a job where I could eventually become a server,” Klein said via email. “Being so close to campus, and [in] such a great spot, Bello Cucina seemed like a perfect fit, so I applied.”

Although the possibility of closure had circulated among employees throughout the summer, Mueller’s retirement plans became public in August. The Loon reported on Aug. 7 that Mueller intended to retire by the end of the year, giving customers an opportunity to visit the restaurant and use any remaining gift cards or coupons.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the restaurant’s future, Klein said that the relationships built there were what made the experience memorable.

“It was nice getting to know people who regularly came to enjoy Bello Cucina,” Klein said. “Building relationships with community members, along with my coworkers, are the things that I’m definitely going to remember the most.”

Beyond its role as a workplace, the restaurant had become a destination for community gatherings, from birthdays and graduations to celebrations following Bennie or Johnnie wins.

Klein recalled seeing Bello Cucina’s reservation book fill up whenever a major event took place in the community.

“The restaurant meant so much for the community,” Klein said. “It was such a great spot for celebrating.” Mueller shared the sentiment.

“The community… has been, for the most part, sad to see the restaurant close,” he said. “It will be missed and leave a void where so many people gathered to break bread, hold a special occasion or celebrate the community as a whole.”

The restaurant’s recognition extended beyond St. Joseph. According to the St. Cloud Times, Bello Cucina was named Best Italian Restaurant in Central Minnesota in the publication’s readers’ survey multiple times.

As for what comes next, Mueller said he hopes to travel, hunt, fish and spend more time with family and friends. After years of working between 80 and 120 hours a week, he said he wants to return to hobbies and relationships that took a back seat to running his restaurants.

“Although the doors may close, the friendships and memories will remain with me for a lifetime,” Muller said in his Facebook post.

There is not yet a concrete date reported for Bello Cucina’s closure.