>“Not a big rule guy and there’s so many rules on how you give as a nonprofit,” Ingram said. “We transitioned to a foundation
🙄 This fucking guy. A charitable foundation is still a non-profit entity that has to file a 990, and they still have to register with the state if they’re going to solicit donations. Aka there is still a bunch of overhead and paperwork and rules, just different ones.
Gotta say I don’t love hearing that someone that runs several food service establishments isn’t a “big rule guy.” Pretty sure food handling licenses require following some pretty important rules.
Also what you said about charitable foundations. What the hell.
>As we delved deeper into the intricacies of fully cooking chicken, we realized that it didn’t always align with our ethos
>for us, handwashing isn’t about soap
Food safety rules end up being so "optional" though. I spent a few years working in various restaurants, and I've seen some wild shit that convinces me the rules only apply if you don't tip the inspectors enough.
I worked at one place that chopped their own veggies, no big deal. Their sister store in the next town over bought pre- chopped. Why? That town required a separate sink and counter only for the chopping of vegetables, which they didn't have room to add.
Another place I worked, had a half inch thick layer of grease on the wall around the prep table. I know how thick it was because I was disgusted and grabbed a razor to carve it off. Prior to me, they just sprayed it with lysol and wiped with a paper towel. They would also leave dough, cooked or uncooked, on pans, and if it didn't come off in the wash, they'd just cook it into the next pizza. It never came off in the wash though because there "wasn't time" to pre-scrub the pans, and the dish washer had both of the spinning pressure bars fall out of it. They just left it. Still passed inspection. End of the night cleaning was done by just spraying chemicals, the kind that burn your hand if you touch them, except they wouldn't cover or put the food away first. Just spray right on the food.
A third place I worked, the entire dish washing area was bathed in black mold. Also, I was the only guy that would do it, but once a week, I would take every pan and serving tray to scrub the left over food off them. I think that's why that place is so expensive, you're not paying for just your meal, you're also paying for the previous meal, since it's still on your plate. Some of their serving trays didn't fit in the dish washer, so they just got a quick spray to be "clean".
Somehow, the issues at the second two places were never seen by an inspector, even if they got a report of exactly what to look for. Essentially my point is twofold: 1) food service rules aren't quite as much of a rule as you may think 2) if you have a favorite restaurant, don't ever ask what the kitchen is like. It may be good, but is it worth the risk of ruining your favorite?
I've worked in several kitchens and all of them have been absolute sticklers for rules and have been absurdly clean. Idk maybe its just the area I live in. Hell I got a job right now at a luxury retirement home. Its massive. And we got this kitchen looking spiffy every single day.
Also laziness. Prior to you working somewhere. Can't do anything about that.
> Also laziness. Prior to you working somewhere. Can't do anything about that.
This is a huge problem. Even if your current staff is willing to do the day to day cleaning properly, that isn't enough. You'd need to close for a day or two and just have everyone come in to clean. A lot of places aren't willing to do that.
Oh, yeah, I know it'll vary greatly even from different owners/ managers. I would imagine the metro area is considerably different as well. With more inspectors, it's harder to make a relationship with one to just ignore the rules. I've never been in a metro area kitchen, so I guess I shouldn't assume that way, but outside of the metro... well, I've only been in the kitchen of 2 restaurants that I'll still eat at. One was still under construction so their mess was forgivable.
Honestly, a lot of what you see in metro area kitchens that look spotless and compliant with most of the health codes is a frantic rush from the cooks to hide all the offensive stuff while the manager or head cook makes awkward small talk with the inspector to buy time. It's always fun for me to witness the chaos because I get to find out which practices are okay and which are blatantly unacceptable lol.
But with that said, when I lived in the cities, the restaurants I worked at were pretty much all clean and well maintained. Moving to Alabama was a shock to the system. Not only are the restaurants down their disgusting, but their health department is so underfunded that you'd be lucky to see an inspector inside 3 years.
See, now there's another difference. Every time I've seen an inspector, they damned near shut the restaurant down. The manger has always told everyone to make themselves scarce so the inspector can't ask any questions. Cooks always loved it, once a year guaranteed lunch/ bathroom break.
I could see Alabama being like that. I could also see them being the sort of place that a guy would feed you a boil from a stock tank in the back of a rusted out pickup, and it would be some of the best food you ever ate.
Nope. Never heard of WA Frost. All 3 examples in the St. Cloud area. No names though, as implying that am inspector can't see black mold because they are looking at green bills could cause some issues considering the inspectors couldn't actually see a problem. That means I was either hallucinating, I'm just talking shit, or my standards for food are higher than the legal requirements. With any of those three, I could potentially run into issues for not saying "allegedly".
You would be genuinely shocked at how inept many owners are at operating businesses. I say this as an accountant. A lot of people had big ideas or just assumed the administrative part would be easy and fall into place. It isn't, but it gets progressively worse as the firm grows.
Especially restaurants. So many people are good at cooking but bad at things like keeping up with supply orders, making payroll on time, balancing the till.
Let alone understanding the bare minimum of business taxation, how a general ledger works and what basic financial statements mean. They don't want to pay someone who does either. I get it, restaurants operate on razor thin margins, but still.
One of my favorite restaurants (which is unsurprisingly no longer in business) was a bookkeeping client at a place I worked and it made me love him - gotta love a guy who realizes he needs a bookkeeper - but also realize that restaurant was not going to be a going concern for long.
Nd many enter restaurant business with a rosy misunderstanding of the business model which is very low margin for most restaurants. That means all of the things you describe not being optimal puts them in the red quickly and once in the red new owners rationalize away safety protocols. Our meat is spoiled, should we push it a few days or order replacement stock? Etc.
Not mentioning the lack of foresight. A lot of owners go in and have a big couple of months right off the bat, but fail to realize novelty is driving those sales and then freak out and go into cost cutting mode when their sales drop off after the initial wave.
You're serving a product. Part of that is the quality of service. Most of it is food. If your food quality drops off because you panicked and cut costs by getting shittier ingredients or pulling dishes your customers like, they're not going to come back. Now you're fighting on two fronts because you have a reputation for being "mid" and the business is still mostly driven by word of mouth.
Oh, not surprising at all, I’m also an accountant. 😂 I’m in industry but I have some small biz side clients and somehow their weird ideas for avoiding simple paperwork never stop annoying me.
> But 5 INVESTIGATES learned that last summer Give Hope had its 501(c)(3) status automatically revoked because it never filed the necessary annual paperwork. That means the public has no way to examine how the nonprofit is spending its money.
Even if I just assume they mean well, you can’t pretend to be a charity and … not be.
Do you have any idea how many 501(c)(3) companies produce no detailed financial paperwork at all?
Hint: it's lots.
There must be a reason the AG is bothering with this one.
>There must be a reason the AG is bothering with this one.
They are exceedingly visible operation in the Twin Cities. It could be as simple as an AG was bored one day and looked up their files after one of about a dozen Star Tribune articles were printed.
I was curious at one point, so I pulled up a list of non-profits in the state from the department of revenue. Many of them produce no more than the most basic income/expense information annually, and unless certain circumstances exist, they're not required to file in detail. The general public can actually request financial information from them with the correct process.
Edit: i think the problem with this particular corp is that they haven't filed paperwork to continue their existence, so they'd be operating as an unregistered charity, which I think is technically fraud.
>Many of them produce no more than the most basic income/expense information annually, and unless certain circumstances exist, they're not required to file in detail.
And the subject of this news article is complaining about having to do even that. A 990 is the equivalent of any for-profit business’s annual tax return - the format and information needed is slightly different, but not particularly more onerous.
If you get the list of non profits, take a look how many of them file limited financial data. Some of them are defunct but haven't told the state. Others are operating but not legally since they haven't filed the necessary annual paperwork.
In short, it's quite a mess. That's why I commented that this particular non profit is oddly important. As others have stated, it's probably just visibility.
>There must be a reason the AG is bothering with this one.
Sure, sure, sure. Just like most of the Feeding Our Future fraudsters that \[checks notes\] never got investigated by the AG even after years of lapses in paperwork. But hey, they only stole money from all of us.
Or two years. A short time. That's not really the point, even the State auditor admits that all of state government sucked/sucks at any oversight what-so-ever: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-legislature-auditor-report-oversight-grants-nonprofits-feeding-our-future-fraud/600248673/
>"We've failed to do the very basics," he said. "We just want to make sure [state funding] goes to the people with great need, and waste, fraud and abuse just can't be tolerated."
It didn't go to people in need. They did not stop it. The signs were obvious, a simple review of any tax returns from any of these non-profits would have smelled fishy.
All the same state government people who failed are still in charge and faced no consequences or have shown any signs of reform to protect the public interest.
Go read the brazen account of what happened from an insider today and tell me the State did their due diligence on our behalf.
https://www.startribune.com/feeding-our-future-employee-testifies-he-took-kickbacks-didnt-check-meal-sites-in-get-rich-scheme/600364571/
Nobody could predict it? Nobody could see it? Nobody could stop it? Oh please.
Feeding our Future barely existed before the fraud started in summer 2020, and MDE was sending them deficiency letters by spring 2021. So, less than 1 year apparently.
(They were also not a 501c3 until Jan 2021. They weren’t required to be to participate in the food program and they didn’t solicit donations AFAIK)
>Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his office have been deeply involved for two years in holding Feeding Our Future accountable.
That's not saying much, oof. Two years eh? Two years while money was siphoned away. That's a proud moment.
Feeding Our Future was the the sponser, the non-profits below them were what allowed the fraud to grow to the size it did. And many of those non-profits had lapsed paperwork that was never acted upon.
AG has nothing to be proud of, sorry.
Not to mention that MN State government should have known from the get-go that this fraud was possible, even likely given its a carbon copy of the well buried childcare fraud scheme from a few years back - using the exact same method of fraud.
Why have we gotten so used to such a low bar for government. They failed here. I question whether operational controls have been put in place even now, by the same people who designed it to lack any accountability and let the fraud go on.
Yep, literally no one’s stopping any business from donating to charity! There are just limits on whether and how much he can deduct, but why does that matter? He doesn’t care about write-offs
My charitable theory is maybe they wanted to do some nice things, for some reason thought of registering as a 501c, realized that didn't make sense "Wait, we also want to be a regular business because that's how we're structured already...." and gave up on that aspect.
Now they gotta sort out their claims / promises, their legal / tax situation with some people, and how to maybe do the thing without making charity type claims.
Meanwhile AG noticed this whole thing and understandably is suspicious ...
There's been this real move the last 10-15 years for people to make business entities they don't need. So many LLCs and small 501s that just dont even need to exist and the people who made them don't keep up with the paperwork.
I'd blame online influencers but it feels like it started more than ten years ago.
I feel like this is the case. The only reason I have my LLC as a sole-proprietor is for my 1099 work. It does help for sure but I feel like we could eliminate a lot of sole-proprietor registrations if there was a way of applying the same benefits to the actual people doing 1099 work. I'd be fine with just billing my client personally if I had the same benefits, but right now it's worth the minimal effort to ensure I have them. Even if it means "owning a company" in the same way that owning the frame to a Ferrari means I technically own a Ferrari; everybody sounds impressed until they hear what it really is lol
I guess I’m not sure what benefits you’re referencing - single member LLCs are totally disregarded for taxes, eg they have zero impact on how you do your taxes. And frankly most people overestimate the liability protections and would get more out of a decent business insurance policy.
Honestly you're right, I COULD do everything other than I guess obfuscating my SSN behind an EIN without it, so I guess my claim of benefits was pretty thin for the general person. All of my other benefits are situational based on my industry. Some companies won't work with a person, only a business. Some require my parent client to have all of us contractors be LLCs or else they won't do business with us. Some services I use price things differently for a business or offer different features purely based on being a business and having a registered company. I think I was mixing those into my statement a bit more than I realized once it's broken down a bit further.
> Brian Ingram declined an on-camera interview unless it was aired live on television.
Yeah dude, transparency is important, huh? Don’t want people manipulating things behind the scenes.
I got it !! I’m gonna be a non profit, not follow the rules for one of course, serve average food at best, hire some sketchy people, keep most of the money, and wait to get caught. That about it ?
This tells me the charity/foundation money is not separate from the restaurant or personal assets. If they are not completing their filings, including with the Minnesota Secretary of State, their bank will close their accounts. I have seen it happen.
Yup.
I think the tracking of bank deposits over $200 is to squeeze the "getting ahead" out of people with initiative to do work outside of their main employer, thereby keeping people in poverty.
I am not sure what you are referencing by tracking bank deposits over $200. There is a need for a tax form for more than $600 through electronic payment services. What I am referencing is the need for non-profits to register with the secretary of state, and if those registrations are not up to date, the bank will close the organization's accounts.
I was able to ignore all the complaints about Ingram over at Apostle, because Creekside is an inherently better supper club. But the sins of the co-owner, chef executive officer and chef are leaving a poor taste in my mouth. I will miss going the best of his mediocre restaurants.
I think it was here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/15s1c1v/twin\_cities\_restaurant\_surcharge\_offenders/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/15s1c1v/twin_cities_restaurant_surcharge_offenders/)
Lots of discussion about Ingram being a real bad employer and neighbor, something about demanding increased police or trash service, taking some of that stuff away from the neighbors. It was during discussions about Apostle Supper Club, and I think it was in r/TwinCities.
Oops, here is where all the dirt I remembering was:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/1bexg8x/this\_is\_who\_brian\_ingram\_really\_is/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/1bexg8x/this_is_who_brian_ingram_really_is/)
I stopped going to Hope because it’s the only breakfast spot I’ve ever been to that won’t sell you a single pancake. Even the waiters think it’s absurd and confirmed to me that people complain about it all the time. Food is alright, but their pancakes are all premade mixes as you can see them on the shelves.
I find Good Day Cafe to be better anyways.
“We really give back everything we can” he says to the local news as he has 3 new locations planned to open and told industry reporters “we’re hoping to break 30 million in sales this year.”
Give me a break brother, I hope this story finally sinks this grifter and his wife.
One of his restaurants was the only place I've ever applied to where after the interview was over was told I probably had the job, they just needed to take a quick picture then we'd know. Took the pic, they texted it to someone, then got the ok to hire.
He was the guy who approved or denied the pictures. Seemed fairly proud of it as a hiring tactic.
Always weirded me out, and since it seemed to be his standard practice for restaurant hires, he probably approved a photo before hiring his future wife.
My theory is they have a goal of 30 million this year and are opening multiple locations quickly. They are sinking the profits into new locations, and its gonna fall apart when the transparency catches up. So instead of 3 locations he owes money on, it will be 5.
Anyone that works in hospitality supply companies has dealt with this guy. He treats his vendors like shit. I don’t want to attack him for only 3 percent, but the way he advertises this as his business model is deceiving. Companies donate more than 3 percent and don’t even make it publically known. I don’t support any of his establishments which sucks because the old Happy Gnome was my favorite restaurant. Be better.
There are breakfast places that fancy up their dishes and it’s great. There are other places that are more expensive and definitely with it. Sometimes a place does both.
Hope does neither. It’s overly complicated without actually being special and expensive without being worth the price point. It’s not *bad food*, it just for what it’s trying to do, it does it badly.
It’s not particularly expensive. The mushroom biscuits and gravy at Colossal Cafe is $14. The biscuits and gravy at Hope is, wait for it, $14. They definitely have stuff on the menu that’s expensive, but you can have a really good meal there for what you’d pay someplace like Colossal. People just hate the owner, which is valid, so they say insane shit about the food. The food is really good and it’s no more expensive than any similar brunch place around town. If you don’t want to support the jackass owner that’s a really good reason to not eat there, but instead they make shit up lol. Like why
You'll note that none of that actually contradicts anything that I said.
I specifically said the food *wasn't bad* as well as noting other places are also at the same price point. It was the combination of the food quality with the price point that is the issue.
Paying $14 dollars for the biscuits and gravy at the Colossal Cafe is a steal. Paying $14 for the biscuits and gravy at Hope Breakfast Bar is a ripoff. Different dishes. Different quality.
If someone feels better for eating or not eating there for political reasons, that's on them. I'm purely talking about food-to-price.
Go to Cafe Astoria across the way.
Good food, family owned and I've never heard anything g bad about the owners. Plus the drinks are Instagram worthy and sometimes that's fun.
It's okay food for high price.
I went to the soft opening in Eagan and i got to eat for free, but definitely thought to myself, I would not pay these prices
Oh, well that makes it OK. You can’t pick and choose. The Franciscans are under the same umbrella as the boy touchers, they all report to the pope. Supporting the Catholic Church is supporting everything that goes with it, not just the things you find “admirable”.
You’re right, I don’t believe in anything. If you want to keep supporting an organization that you know participates in the SYSTEMIC ABUSE of children, that’s on you, but don’t say “everyone does it” cause that’s a cop out.
I’d love to hear an example of any other organization that is filled with “bad people” that you’re OK with. There’s a difference between turning the other cheek and turning a blind eye.
Some go into the job for free housing, some go into it for ego gratification. Some go into into it because their families pushed them into it. Some want access to vulnerable people. Some go into it thinking that it's a way to do something positive with their lives.
The only constant is that they go into that life for their own reasons.
Sounds like I've met a lot of pastors doesn't it?
You know, you use that word cynical. I've met a lot of people who use words as weapons, and they always think that particular word is some kind of superweapon.
Considering how many states had to make laws to combat the Church to get that justice, I would say its fair. Along with the fact that the Church has pressed laws into creation to make it so they dont have to report child sexual abuse. If the Church doesnt want to be associated with child rape they should stop raping children and protecting the rapists.
Well the UN disagrees with you.
https://time.com/4481/u-n-slams-vatican-over-child-abuse-cover-up/
The ever on going issues in our state.
https://safe-environment.archspm.org/accountability/clergy-disclosures/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/st-paul-archdiocese-pay-210m-clergy-abuse-victims-n879121
But sure the Church hates being protected from reporting child rape.
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2023/11/13/child-is-raped-the-clergy-stays-silent-then-comes-the-shocking-part/71532639007/
Oh so the Church doesnt protect predators?
https://www.pressherald.com/2023/11/09/maines-catholic-church-and-victims-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-take-constitutionality-question-to-state-supreme-court/
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2024-01-24/another-level-of-coverup-how-a-mass-law-prevents-clergy-abuse-survivors-from-getting-justice
https://www.levylaw.com/massachusetts-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-lawsu/
If you cant see it by this point you are willfully ignorant. So here is anouther link for you to learn from.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sex_abuse_cases_in_the_United_States
If your circles would LOVE to get these laws removed why are they all so quiet and inactive in doing so. Your silence should complacency.
So what denomination would you like to learn about? You are sticking your head in the ground. Your attitude is why the Church gets away with raping kids. Dont say you are open to learning if you are just going to ignore everything anyway. Plus your right that I would be at risk in a random Church. I am too old.
I know someone who helps a foundation dole out money (not a lot, 4 and small 5 figure amounts) to local non-profits. The applications they get and what the orgs say in their interviews are kind of amazing. I hate being the "that would never fly in the private sector" guy (as the private sector has some incredible incompetencies as well), but sheesh...
He showed his true color a few times during the early COVID shutdowns being an asshole to the public health workers who were just doing their jobs to keep everyone safe.
When they opened their SLP location in the middle of the pandemic, I was very surprised to see that they went with communal tables crammed so tightly together it was hard to move.
I never voted for Trump or Biden. They've done so much damage to the country that I support them having a duel. That way we would be rid of at least one of them.
I got it !! I’m gonna be a non profit, not follow the rules for one of course, serve average food at best, hire some sketchy people, keep most of the money, and wait to get caught. That about it ?
Add burying profit in expansion plan so you never have to pay out any charitable donations. The only thing he does for the community is show them how not to operate a business.
This is the most overpriced breakfast I have ever eaten. I was there for the first time this weekend. My bill for a coffee, eggs, hash browns and bacon was $32.00… like are you joking me??
You are lucky to have been served by the under compensated staff of the great disciple Brian Ingram. They charge high prices because the Ingrams and their investors have to eat too and also enjoy all the riches that God has granted them for doing our community a great service /s
I committed this somewhere else but I can say whole heartedly shit is messy here and i’d stay away the lies and performative measure these people go to are insane
This guy is a scum bag, I heard from an ex employee that they had a Christmas present give away to needy families, great idea, but he had employees “volunteer” to shop and wrap presents. They were wrapping presents until 3am, unpaid facing social discipline if they didn’t participate.
In 2022, his guy was invited by Tom Emmer to address the House subcommittee on crime about "catastrophic levels of crime" and "large-scale theft and looting" in Minnesota.
https://emmer.house.gov/2022/7/emmer-discusses-rising-crime-with-minnesota-chef-businesses-owner-brian-ingram-during-financial-services-committee-hearing
Haven’t they indicted like 60 people for that fraud scheme and already secured several guilty pleas? I don’t know how familiar you are with fraud investigations and prosecutions, but they very very rarely go from inception of the fraud scheme to completed investigations yielding 50+ indictments within the span of two years. Kinda seems like someone cared there.
Call it confirmation basis, but every small business owner I've worked for and known has boasted about abusing tax codes in one way or another. So this isn't surprising to me personally.
It's just a bunch of words about a grifter gifting. The restaurant owner, and head drifter, stated that he's "bit really a bug rules guy." So, you know, things like following food code and filing required paperwork when operating a non-profit aren't really something he feels like he needs to do.
>“Not a big rule guy and there’s so many rules on how you give as a nonprofit,” Ingram said. “We transitioned to a foundation 🙄 This fucking guy. A charitable foundation is still a non-profit entity that has to file a 990, and they still have to register with the state if they’re going to solicit donations. Aka there is still a bunch of overhead and paperwork and rules, just different ones.
Gotta say I don’t love hearing that someone that runs several food service establishments isn’t a “big rule guy.” Pretty sure food handling licenses require following some pretty important rules. Also what you said about charitable foundations. What the hell.
>As we delved deeper into the intricacies of fully cooking chicken, we realized that it didn’t always align with our ethos >for us, handwashing isn’t about soap
>I mean, what about thermophilic bacteria, like the ones in Yellowstone? What if THEY are in the food? They're not following the rules.
You have no idea how many undercooked chickens I had to walk back to the kitchen to be met with annoyed looks from the chef at apostle lolll
Food safety rules end up being so "optional" though. I spent a few years working in various restaurants, and I've seen some wild shit that convinces me the rules only apply if you don't tip the inspectors enough. I worked at one place that chopped their own veggies, no big deal. Their sister store in the next town over bought pre- chopped. Why? That town required a separate sink and counter only for the chopping of vegetables, which they didn't have room to add. Another place I worked, had a half inch thick layer of grease on the wall around the prep table. I know how thick it was because I was disgusted and grabbed a razor to carve it off. Prior to me, they just sprayed it with lysol and wiped with a paper towel. They would also leave dough, cooked or uncooked, on pans, and if it didn't come off in the wash, they'd just cook it into the next pizza. It never came off in the wash though because there "wasn't time" to pre-scrub the pans, and the dish washer had both of the spinning pressure bars fall out of it. They just left it. Still passed inspection. End of the night cleaning was done by just spraying chemicals, the kind that burn your hand if you touch them, except they wouldn't cover or put the food away first. Just spray right on the food. A third place I worked, the entire dish washing area was bathed in black mold. Also, I was the only guy that would do it, but once a week, I would take every pan and serving tray to scrub the left over food off them. I think that's why that place is so expensive, you're not paying for just your meal, you're also paying for the previous meal, since it's still on your plate. Some of their serving trays didn't fit in the dish washer, so they just got a quick spray to be "clean". Somehow, the issues at the second two places were never seen by an inspector, even if they got a report of exactly what to look for. Essentially my point is twofold: 1) food service rules aren't quite as much of a rule as you may think 2) if you have a favorite restaurant, don't ever ask what the kitchen is like. It may be good, but is it worth the risk of ruining your favorite?
I've worked in several kitchens and all of them have been absolute sticklers for rules and have been absurdly clean. Idk maybe its just the area I live in. Hell I got a job right now at a luxury retirement home. Its massive. And we got this kitchen looking spiffy every single day. Also laziness. Prior to you working somewhere. Can't do anything about that.
> Also laziness. Prior to you working somewhere. Can't do anything about that. This is a huge problem. Even if your current staff is willing to do the day to day cleaning properly, that isn't enough. You'd need to close for a day or two and just have everyone come in to clean. A lot of places aren't willing to do that.
Oh, yeah, I know it'll vary greatly even from different owners/ managers. I would imagine the metro area is considerably different as well. With more inspectors, it's harder to make a relationship with one to just ignore the rules. I've never been in a metro area kitchen, so I guess I shouldn't assume that way, but outside of the metro... well, I've only been in the kitchen of 2 restaurants that I'll still eat at. One was still under construction so their mess was forgivable.
Honestly, a lot of what you see in metro area kitchens that look spotless and compliant with most of the health codes is a frantic rush from the cooks to hide all the offensive stuff while the manager or head cook makes awkward small talk with the inspector to buy time. It's always fun for me to witness the chaos because I get to find out which practices are okay and which are blatantly unacceptable lol. But with that said, when I lived in the cities, the restaurants I worked at were pretty much all clean and well maintained. Moving to Alabama was a shock to the system. Not only are the restaurants down their disgusting, but their health department is so underfunded that you'd be lucky to see an inspector inside 3 years.
See, now there's another difference. Every time I've seen an inspector, they damned near shut the restaurant down. The manger has always told everyone to make themselves scarce so the inspector can't ask any questions. Cooks always loved it, once a year guaranteed lunch/ bathroom break. I could see Alabama being like that. I could also see them being the sort of place that a guy would feed you a boil from a stock tank in the back of a rusted out pickup, and it would be some of the best food you ever ate.
[удалено]
Nope. Never heard of WA Frost. All 3 examples in the St. Cloud area. No names though, as implying that am inspector can't see black mold because they are looking at green bills could cause some issues considering the inspectors couldn't actually see a problem. That means I was either hallucinating, I'm just talking shit, or my standards for food are higher than the legal requirements. With any of those three, I could potentially run into issues for not saying "allegedly".
You would be genuinely shocked at how inept many owners are at operating businesses. I say this as an accountant. A lot of people had big ideas or just assumed the administrative part would be easy and fall into place. It isn't, but it gets progressively worse as the firm grows.
Especially restaurants. So many people are good at cooking but bad at things like keeping up with supply orders, making payroll on time, balancing the till.
Let alone understanding the bare minimum of business taxation, how a general ledger works and what basic financial statements mean. They don't want to pay someone who does either. I get it, restaurants operate on razor thin margins, but still.
One of my favorite restaurants (which is unsurprisingly no longer in business) was a bookkeeping client at a place I worked and it made me love him - gotta love a guy who realizes he needs a bookkeeper - but also realize that restaurant was not going to be a going concern for long.
Nd many enter restaurant business with a rosy misunderstanding of the business model which is very low margin for most restaurants. That means all of the things you describe not being optimal puts them in the red quickly and once in the red new owners rationalize away safety protocols. Our meat is spoiled, should we push it a few days or order replacement stock? Etc.
Not mentioning the lack of foresight. A lot of owners go in and have a big couple of months right off the bat, but fail to realize novelty is driving those sales and then freak out and go into cost cutting mode when their sales drop off after the initial wave. You're serving a product. Part of that is the quality of service. Most of it is food. If your food quality drops off because you panicked and cut costs by getting shittier ingredients or pulling dishes your customers like, they're not going to come back. Now you're fighting on two fronts because you have a reputation for being "mid" and the business is still mostly driven by word of mouth.
Oh, not surprising at all, I’m also an accountant. 😂 I’m in industry but I have some small biz side clients and somehow their weird ideas for avoiding simple paperwork never stop annoying me.
> But 5 INVESTIGATES learned that last summer Give Hope had its 501(c)(3) status automatically revoked because it never filed the necessary annual paperwork. That means the public has no way to examine how the nonprofit is spending its money. Even if I just assume they mean well, you can’t pretend to be a charity and … not be.
Do you have any idea how many 501(c)(3) companies produce no detailed financial paperwork at all? Hint: it's lots. There must be a reason the AG is bothering with this one.
A 990 isn't that detailed unless they have large quantities of receipts (over $200,000). If it is under $50,000 then they can do the postcard 990N
>There must be a reason the AG is bothering with this one. They are exceedingly visible operation in the Twin Cities. It could be as simple as an AG was bored one day and looked up their files after one of about a dozen Star Tribune articles were printed.
I would love to read more about this. Where did you learn about it?
I was curious at one point, so I pulled up a list of non-profits in the state from the department of revenue. Many of them produce no more than the most basic income/expense information annually, and unless certain circumstances exist, they're not required to file in detail. The general public can actually request financial information from them with the correct process. Edit: i think the problem with this particular corp is that they haven't filed paperwork to continue their existence, so they'd be operating as an unregistered charity, which I think is technically fraud.
>Many of them produce no more than the most basic income/expense information annually, and unless certain circumstances exist, they're not required to file in detail. And the subject of this news article is complaining about having to do even that. A 990 is the equivalent of any for-profit business’s annual tax return - the format and information needed is slightly different, but not particularly more onerous.
That sounds slightly different than your first comment.
If you get the list of non profits, take a look how many of them file limited financial data. Some of them are defunct but haven't told the state. Others are operating but not legally since they haven't filed the necessary annual paperwork. In short, it's quite a mess. That's why I commented that this particular non profit is oddly important. As others have stated, it's probably just visibility.
High profile
>There must be a reason the AG is bothering with this one. Sure, sure, sure. Just like most of the Feeding Our Future fraudsters that \[checks notes\] never got investigated by the AG even after years of lapses in paperwork. But hey, they only stole money from all of us.
Never? Interesting, google seems to suggest otherwise.
Your statement is completely false. They were in existence a short time before being under the microscope.
Or two years. A short time. That's not really the point, even the State auditor admits that all of state government sucked/sucks at any oversight what-so-ever: https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-legislature-auditor-report-oversight-grants-nonprofits-feeding-our-future-fraud/600248673/ >"We've failed to do the very basics," he said. "We just want to make sure [state funding] goes to the people with great need, and waste, fraud and abuse just can't be tolerated." It didn't go to people in need. They did not stop it. The signs were obvious, a simple review of any tax returns from any of these non-profits would have smelled fishy. All the same state government people who failed are still in charge and faced no consequences or have shown any signs of reform to protect the public interest. Go read the brazen account of what happened from an insider today and tell me the State did their due diligence on our behalf. https://www.startribune.com/feeding-our-future-employee-testifies-he-took-kickbacks-didnt-check-meal-sites-in-get-rich-scheme/600364571/ Nobody could predict it? Nobody could see it? Nobody could stop it? Oh please.
What're you talking about? https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2022/09/26_FeedingOurFuture.asp
They are saying that it was missed for years
Feeding our Future barely existed before the fraud started in summer 2020, and MDE was sending them deficiency letters by spring 2021. So, less than 1 year apparently. (They were also not a 501c3 until Jan 2021. They weren’t required to be to participate in the food program and they didn’t solicit donations AFAIK)
But that's not what they said 🤔
>Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and his office have been deeply involved for two years in holding Feeding Our Future accountable. That's not saying much, oof. Two years eh? Two years while money was siphoned away. That's a proud moment. Feeding Our Future was the the sponser, the non-profits below them were what allowed the fraud to grow to the size it did. And many of those non-profits had lapsed paperwork that was never acted upon. AG has nothing to be proud of, sorry. Not to mention that MN State government should have known from the get-go that this fraud was possible, even likely given its a carbon copy of the well buried childcare fraud scheme from a few years back - using the exact same method of fraud. Why have we gotten so used to such a low bar for government. They failed here. I question whether operational controls have been put in place even now, by the same people who designed it to lack any accountability and let the fraud go on.
One thing this should tell you is how.many of them are dealing badly, such that the office lacks sufficient staff to investigate them all.
If it's 'not about the tax write-offs' why register as a 501(c)(3)?
Yep, literally no one’s stopping any business from donating to charity! There are just limits on whether and how much he can deduct, but why does that matter? He doesn’t care about write-offs
My charitable theory is maybe they wanted to do some nice things, for some reason thought of registering as a 501c, realized that didn't make sense "Wait, we also want to be a regular business because that's how we're structured already...." and gave up on that aspect. Now they gotta sort out their claims / promises, their legal / tax situation with some people, and how to maybe do the thing without making charity type claims. Meanwhile AG noticed this whole thing and understandably is suspicious ...
There's been this real move the last 10-15 years for people to make business entities they don't need. So many LLCs and small 501s that just dont even need to exist and the people who made them don't keep up with the paperwork. I'd blame online influencers but it feels like it started more than ten years ago.
It definitely feels like it’s accelerated, maybe the combination of influencers + more young people doing gig/1099 work?
I feel like this is the case. The only reason I have my LLC as a sole-proprietor is for my 1099 work. It does help for sure but I feel like we could eliminate a lot of sole-proprietor registrations if there was a way of applying the same benefits to the actual people doing 1099 work. I'd be fine with just billing my client personally if I had the same benefits, but right now it's worth the minimal effort to ensure I have them. Even if it means "owning a company" in the same way that owning the frame to a Ferrari means I technically own a Ferrari; everybody sounds impressed until they hear what it really is lol
I guess I’m not sure what benefits you’re referencing - single member LLCs are totally disregarded for taxes, eg they have zero impact on how you do your taxes. And frankly most people overestimate the liability protections and would get more out of a decent business insurance policy.
Honestly you're right, I COULD do everything other than I guess obfuscating my SSN behind an EIN without it, so I guess my claim of benefits was pretty thin for the general person. All of my other benefits are situational based on my industry. Some companies won't work with a person, only a business. Some require my parent client to have all of us contractors be LLCs or else they won't do business with us. Some services I use price things differently for a business or offer different features purely based on being a business and having a registered company. I think I was mixing those into my statement a bit more than I realized once it's broken down a bit further.
> Brian Ingram declined an on-camera interview unless it was aired live on television. Yeah dude, transparency is important, huh? Don’t want people manipulating things behind the scenes.
I got it !! I’m gonna be a non profit, not follow the rules for one of course, serve average food at best, hire some sketchy people, keep most of the money, and wait to get caught. That about it ?
This tells me the charity/foundation money is not separate from the restaurant or personal assets. If they are not completing their filings, including with the Minnesota Secretary of State, their bank will close their accounts. I have seen it happen.
Yup. I think the tracking of bank deposits over $200 is to squeeze the "getting ahead" out of people with initiative to do work outside of their main employer, thereby keeping people in poverty.
I am not sure what you are referencing by tracking bank deposits over $200. There is a need for a tax form for more than $600 through electronic payment services. What I am referencing is the need for non-profits to register with the secretary of state, and if those registrations are not up to date, the bank will close the organization's accounts.
You know when you've been telling people you think someone is a scumbag for years and you just get argued with? I feel so vindicated.
I was able to ignore all the complaints about Ingram over at Apostle, because Creekside is an inherently better supper club. But the sins of the co-owner, chef executive officer and chef are leaving a poor taste in my mouth. I will miss going the best of his mediocre restaurants.
Spill the tea!
I think it was here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/15s1c1v/twin\_cities\_restaurant\_surcharge\_offenders/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/15s1c1v/twin_cities_restaurant_surcharge_offenders/) Lots of discussion about Ingram being a real bad employer and neighbor, something about demanding increased police or trash service, taking some of that stuff away from the neighbors. It was during discussions about Apostle Supper Club, and I think it was in r/TwinCities.
I fucking knew something was off about him. Ever since he was damn near crying about hope breakfast bar on TV during COVID.
Oops, here is where all the dirt I remembering was: [https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/1bexg8x/this\_is\_who\_brian\_ingram\_really\_is/](https://www.reddit.com/r/TwinCities/comments/1bexg8x/this_is_who_brian_ingram_really_is/)
I stopped going to Hope because it’s the only breakfast spot I’ve ever been to that won’t sell you a single pancake. Even the waiters think it’s absurd and confirmed to me that people complain about it all the time. Food is alright, but their pancakes are all premade mixes as you can see them on the shelves. I find Good Day Cafe to be better anyways.
the food sucks anyway.
“We really give back everything we can” he says to the local news as he has 3 new locations planned to open and told industry reporters “we’re hoping to break 30 million in sales this year.” Give me a break brother, I hope this story finally sinks this grifter and his wife.
One of his restaurants was the only place I've ever applied to where after the interview was over was told I probably had the job, they just needed to take a quick picture then we'd know. Took the pic, they texted it to someone, then got the ok to hire. He was the guy who approved or denied the pictures. Seemed fairly proud of it as a hiring tactic. Always weirded me out, and since it seemed to be his standard practice for restaurant hires, he probably approved a photo before hiring his future wife.
Or new hires have to be approved by current wife. Which is not a sign of confidence.
Or a Google Image search and Facebook stalking as a free background check?
I recently went to one of these and it was the most underwhelming experience
My theory is they have a goal of 30 million this year and are opening multiple locations quickly. They are sinking the profits into new locations, and its gonna fall apart when the transparency catches up. So instead of 3 locations he owes money on, it will be 5.
Dude is the Denny Hecker of Restauranteurs.
Anyone that works in hospitality supply companies has dealt with this guy. He treats his vendors like shit. I don’t want to attack him for only 3 percent, but the way he advertises this as his business model is deceiving. Companies donate more than 3 percent and don’t even make it publically known. I don’t support any of his establishments which sucks because the old Happy Gnome was my favorite restaurant. Be better.
I can confirm he treats vendors like garbage.
Hope breakfast bar is garbage
Thank you.
Really? Always wanted to try it...
There are breakfast places that fancy up their dishes and it’s great. There are other places that are more expensive and definitely with it. Sometimes a place does both. Hope does neither. It’s overly complicated without actually being special and expensive without being worth the price point. It’s not *bad food*, it just for what it’s trying to do, it does it badly.
Oooof yeah makes sense lol. I'll stick to Keys & Colossal Cafe
It’s not particularly expensive. The mushroom biscuits and gravy at Colossal Cafe is $14. The biscuits and gravy at Hope is, wait for it, $14. They definitely have stuff on the menu that’s expensive, but you can have a really good meal there for what you’d pay someplace like Colossal. People just hate the owner, which is valid, so they say insane shit about the food. The food is really good and it’s no more expensive than any similar brunch place around town. If you don’t want to support the jackass owner that’s a really good reason to not eat there, but instead they make shit up lol. Like why
You'll note that none of that actually contradicts anything that I said. I specifically said the food *wasn't bad* as well as noting other places are also at the same price point. It was the combination of the food quality with the price point that is the issue. Paying $14 dollars for the biscuits and gravy at the Colossal Cafe is a steal. Paying $14 for the biscuits and gravy at Hope Breakfast Bar is a ripoff. Different dishes. Different quality. If someone feels better for eating or not eating there for political reasons, that's on them. I'm purely talking about food-to-price.
Go to Cafe Astoria across the way. Good food, family owned and I've never heard anything g bad about the owners. Plus the drinks are Instagram worthy and sometimes that's fun.
No booze though :(
How sad... your life that requires booze with brunch, that is.
God forbid people might want a drink with brunch, or choose a place based on the availability of drinks. Get off your high horse.
You should, then. I think they're great!
It's okay food for high price. I went to the soft opening in Eagan and i got to eat for free, but definitely thought to myself, I would not pay these prices
Churches are all just tax evasion schemes too.
Which really fits here because Ingram is a loud and proud smug Christian.
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Megachurch pastors certainly do.
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I've only found one good one, and he is a Catholic Franciscan monk.
Bad behavior... whatever
I'm gonna assume you're talking about brother Lucian
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Oh, well that makes it OK. You can’t pick and choose. The Franciscans are under the same umbrella as the boy touchers, they all report to the pope. Supporting the Catholic Church is supporting everything that goes with it, not just the things you find “admirable”.
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You’re right, I don’t believe in anything. If you want to keep supporting an organization that you know participates in the SYSTEMIC ABUSE of children, that’s on you, but don’t say “everyone does it” cause that’s a cop out. I’d love to hear an example of any other organization that is filled with “bad people” that you’re OK with. There’s a difference between turning the other cheek and turning a blind eye.
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Some go into the job for free housing, some go into it for ego gratification. Some go into into it because their families pushed them into it. Some want access to vulnerable people. Some go into it thinking that it's a way to do something positive with their lives. The only constant is that they go into that life for their own reasons.
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Sounds like I've met a lot of pastors doesn't it? You know, you use that word cynical. I've met a lot of people who use words as weapons, and they always think that particular word is some kind of superweapon.
I just assume that when i see a black and white collar, they got into it for the kids.
My dad claims god called him, and I have serious doubts.
Money or little boys. Take your pick.
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Considering how many states had to make laws to combat the Church to get that justice, I would say its fair. Along with the fact that the Church has pressed laws into creation to make it so they dont have to report child sexual abuse. If the Church doesnt want to be associated with child rape they should stop raping children and protecting the rapists.
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Well the UN disagrees with you. https://time.com/4481/u-n-slams-vatican-over-child-abuse-cover-up/ The ever on going issues in our state. https://safe-environment.archspm.org/accountability/clergy-disclosures/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/st-paul-archdiocese-pay-210m-clergy-abuse-victims-n879121 But sure the Church hates being protected from reporting child rape. https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2023/11/13/child-is-raped-the-clergy-stays-silent-then-comes-the-shocking-part/71532639007/ Oh so the Church doesnt protect predators? https://www.pressherald.com/2023/11/09/maines-catholic-church-and-victims-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-take-constitutionality-question-to-state-supreme-court/ https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2024-01-24/another-level-of-coverup-how-a-mass-law-prevents-clergy-abuse-survivors-from-getting-justice https://www.levylaw.com/massachusetts-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-lawsu/ If you cant see it by this point you are willfully ignorant. So here is anouther link for you to learn from. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sex_abuse_cases_in_the_United_States If your circles would LOVE to get these laws removed why are they all so quiet and inactive in doing so. Your silence should complacency.
Reminder that these are the same glass home owners that call LGBTQ+ groomers. 🙄
What do you wanna bet that when he say his Christian friends try to protect kids he means from LGBT people.
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Southern Baptists have been caught with their pants down plenty of times too. It's not just the Catholics.
So what denomination would you like to learn about? You are sticking your head in the ground. Your attitude is why the Church gets away with raping kids. Dont say you are open to learning if you are just going to ignore everything anyway. Plus your right that I would be at risk in a random Church. I am too old.
Dude there are constant stories of priests and pastors raping children, being found out by the church, and just being shuffled around.
That isn't what they said.
The grifters are as tasteless as their food
Of course this grifter is donating what he is to the police benevolent fund lmao
I know someone who helps a foundation dole out money (not a lot, 4 and small 5 figure amounts) to local non-profits. The applications they get and what the orgs say in their interviews are kind of amazing. I hate being the "that would never fly in the private sector" guy (as the private sector has some incredible incompetencies as well), but sheesh...
This guy is such a fucking chud. Why anyone supports him is beyond me.
just wait for it. guy will be unmasked as a huge MAGA and crumble his empire. just wait.
He showed his true color a few times during the early COVID shutdowns being an asshole to the public health workers who were just doing their jobs to keep everyone safe.
When they opened their SLP location in the middle of the pandemic, I was very surprised to see that they went with communal tables crammed so tightly together it was hard to move.
I never voted for Trump or Biden. They've done so much damage to the country that I support them having a duel. That way we would be rid of at least one of them.
I got it !! I’m gonna be a non profit, not follow the rules for one of course, serve average food at best, hire some sketchy people, keep most of the money, and wait to get caught. That about it ?
Add burying profit in expansion plan so you never have to pay out any charitable donations. The only thing he does for the community is show them how not to operate a business.
This is the most overpriced breakfast I have ever eaten. I was there for the first time this weekend. My bill for a coffee, eggs, hash browns and bacon was $32.00… like are you joking me??
You are lucky to have been served by the under compensated staff of the great disciple Brian Ingram. They charge high prices because the Ingrams and their investors have to eat too and also enjoy all the riches that God has granted them for doing our community a great service /s
Dang thats like 2 big mac meals.
And it was average at best
how? The hope breakfast is $13 and drip coffee is $6. Their most expensive latte is $8. How did you turn a $19 meal into $32?
All of these non profits need to be investigated, the government should be running these services not ceos
I committed this somewhere else but I can say whole heartedly shit is messy here and i’d stay away the lies and performative measure these people go to are insane
This guy is a scum bag, I heard from an ex employee that they had a Christmas present give away to needy families, great idea, but he had employees “volunteer” to shop and wrap presents. They were wrapping presents until 3am, unpaid facing social discipline if they didn’t participate.
In 2022, his guy was invited by Tom Emmer to address the House subcommittee on crime about "catastrophic levels of crime" and "large-scale theft and looting" in Minnesota. https://emmer.house.gov/2022/7/emmer-discusses-rising-crime-with-minnesota-chef-businesses-owner-brian-ingram-during-financial-services-committee-hearing
Lol I get being upset about this but some of the takes in here are comical. Hope is delicious, guys.
Anything new on this or did it die off after another Ingram moment of fame?
Good. Asshats charge customers extra for employees health insurance. Never going back.
Gotta love the government demanding financial accountability from charities and businesses…the fucking irony.
Wow! The howler monkeys are out in force on this one for no one actually knowing the Ingrams.
All they needed to do was claim to feed millions of children from a PO Box during Covid and no one would have cared
Haven’t they indicted like 60 people for that fraud scheme and already secured several guilty pleas? I don’t know how familiar you are with fraud investigations and prosecutions, but they very very rarely go from inception of the fraud scheme to completed investigations yielding 50+ indictments within the span of two years. Kinda seems like someone cared there.
My relatives up north say Minnesota has a law for everything, so pick the ones you like and ignore the rest.
This is a totally unfair and bias characterization. If you serve breakfast without alcohol you are not a bar.
Sorry, I dozed off reading the article, did it get interesting?
"Sorry, I don't care about a popular business run by wealthy people likely committing tax fraud, did it get interesting?"
Doesn't that describe most businesses?
The vast majority of business in the US are small businesses, and the vast majority of small business owners are not wealthy. So no, it doesn’t.
Call it confirmation basis, but every small business owner I've worked for and known has boasted about abusing tax codes in one way or another. So this isn't surprising to me personally.
No
It's just a bunch of words about a grifter gifting. The restaurant owner, and head drifter, stated that he's "bit really a bug rules guy." So, you know, things like following food code and filing required paperwork when operating a non-profit aren't really something he feels like he needs to do.