Farmer’s Grandson Eatery is, by first look, a convenience store in Lakeville, Minnesota. There’s a little more to it than fuel, snacks and milk, though.
Customers come to the store, and if they’re in on the secret, they walk through an unexpecting cooler door. It looks like a cellar at first, but around the corner, the curtains are drawn back, and there’s a speakeasy-style cocktail bar with a retro vibe and no TVs.
It’s called the Farmer’s Cellar.
Leaders from the c-store were featured in a NACS Ideas 2 Go video at the NACS Show in Chicago.
While the hidden cocktail bar adds an unexpected twist, the store doesn’t stray far from its foodservice roots.
“The kitchen is really the heart of the operation,” said owner Tony Donatell in the video. “It sits between the convenience store and the hidden cocktail bar, so designing the menu really had to be thoughtful because of limited space.”
The compromise was to keep the Cellar’s food menu limited and offer a wide array of options on the convenience store side, from pizza, tacos, burgers, fried chicken, chicken tenders and breakfast all day.
Monday through Friday, the store features grilled hot dogs, bratwurst, pulled pork sandwiches and cheeseburgers.
“That smell really lures you in, and the outside grilling is really an entry to what we're doing here inside the store,” Donatell said.
So, while the unconventional speakeasy draws a crowd with its unique setting, the Farmer’s Grandson Eatery convenience store keeps the spotlight on crafting craveable food.
Farmer’s origins
In 2008, the first Farmer’s Grandson Eatery location opened in Eagan, Minnesota.
With its burgers, fries, prime rib and breakfast offerings, the convenience store built a following and saw consistent lines during breakfast and lunch hours, according to the company.
However, the team recognized a challenge: diners were hesitant to choose a gas station as a destination for dinner or special occasions.
Seizing an opportunity when a neighboring e-cigarette shop closed, the team launched Burgers and Bottles in 2014, a casual burger and beer concept next door.
In 2015, it expanded again, transforming a nearby auto repair shop into Volstead House, a speakeasy-style bar hidden inside Burgers and Bottles offering cocktails and liquor.
Then, in 2025, it added the Farmer’s Cellar speakeasy to its Lakeville, Minnesota, c-store and gas station location.
The group—The Wondrous Collective—has continued to grow, opening at least one new concept each year. Their portfolio now includes other bars, pizza joints, coffee houses and burger restaurants.
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