T.J. Hooligan’s to open second location in Eden Prairie

T.J. Hooligan’s Pub & Grub will open a second location in Eden Prairie this September, taking over the former site of Campiello in Shady Oak Center.

Campiello served Italian cuisine at 6411 City West Parkway, just off Shady Oak Road, for nearly three decades before closing at the end of last year. The location has remained vacant since then.

Mike Newlin, owner-operator of T.J. Hooligan’s, says the restaurant has an Irish pub atmosphere and one of the largest menus in the area.

“We have 78 items on the menu – everything from appetizers to pizzas to hamburgers, American, Italian, Mexican,” Newlin said. “And it’s all homemade food.”

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The original T.J. Hooligan’s has been a fixture in Prior Lake since 1983. Newlin, who purchased the restaurant two-and-a-half years ago, believes the expansion is a natural progression.

“I think we’ve got a brand,” he said. “T.J. Hooligan’s, when you walk in, is different from anything you’ve ever seen. The best way to describe T.J. Hooligan’s is kind of like a ‘Cheers’ bar, where everybody knows your name, crossed with an Applebee’s on steroids in terms of the variety of options we have and the quality of our food.”

Choosing Eden Prairie

Newlin has been searching for an additional location in the south metro area for about a year.

He chose the Eden Prairie site for its proximity to businesses and office parks, which, due to the high number of employees working nearby, he believes will generate strong lunch and happy hour crowds.

“I figured my first expansion needs to be fairly close to where we are now, and the Eden Prairie location is only about 14 minutes from T.J. Hooligan’s in Prior Lake,” he said. “My leasing agents found this place for me, and I just really fell in love with the building and the location. We’re really excited to come to Eden Prairie.”

Newlin anticipates the Eden Prairie site will open in mid-September and is currently working on obtaining a liquor license and purchasing equipment.

“It’s basically an empty slate there,” he said. “(Campiello) sold off all their equipment. I’m in the process of finding kitchen equipment, furniture, things like that. We’ll be remodeling the inside a little bit to make it more of an Irish pub family restaurant instead of a high-end Italian place.”

Staff and community

Newlin is bringing experienced staff from Prior Lake to the Eden Prairie location, including cooks and assistant managers, “so we hit the ground running.” A Facebook page, T.J. Hooligan’s Eden Prairie, provides updates on the opening, with hiring set for late August.

“I think it’s a winning location, and if we can do what we’ve done at Prior Lake for the last couple of years, it should be a real success in that location,” he said.