Photo by Clay Schuldt The 209 Pub and Grill opened on Friday in time for Oktoberfest and is already serving a crowd.

NEW ULM — The spirit of the Lamplighter continues at 209 Pub and Grill, which opened to customers Friday morning.

Located at 209 N. Minnesota, the new bar and restaurant is owned by Herb Knutson, who also owns the Kaiserhoff and Lamplighter.

In early September, the Lamplighter was severely damaged by a fire, preventing it from operating over the last month. This motivated Knutson to purchase the building at 209 N. Minnesota St. and open 209 Pub and Grill.

Staff from the Lamplighter moved into the new building and offer similar service as they did in the Lamplighter.

Knutson said the menu is also similar to the Lamplighter. About 50% of the Lamplighter items are available at 209 Pub and Grill. Additional equipment will be coming in next week, at which point it will be 90% of the same menu.

Photo by Clay Schuldt The 209 Pub and Grill opened on Friday in time for Oktoberfest and is already serving a crowd.

Knutson said one of the biggest difference is the 209 Pub and Grill’s bar does not have as many taps, but the restaurant/bar has room to grow.

The immediate goal was to get 209 Pub and Grill up and running in time for Oktoberfest weekend.

Knutson credited his Lamplighter staff for opening the new place by deadline. This was no easy task.

After the Lamplighter was damaged, staff had 30 days to find an alterative location and get it up and running. Fortunately, the former Sozial building was available, allowing the Lamplighter operation to move into a new location.

Knutson said the old Lamplighter building will eventually be rebuilt, but the exact details are still in flux. Currently insurance adjusters are recommended a complete teardown and rebuild of the Lamplighter, but as the building is part of New Ulm’s Historic Downtown, there may be other restrictions.

Photo by Clay Schuldt The 209 Pub and Grill opened on Friday in time for Oktoberfest and is already serving a crowd.

Knutson said it would likely be a year or a year and half before anything could be done with the Lamplighter.

Knutson is confident the customers will return whenever the Lamplighter does reopen. Until that day, 209 Pub and Grill will continue to operate in the spirit of Lamplighter. Knutson said the 209 Pub and Grill will also remain in operation after Lamplighter reopens, but with a different theme.

“I want to thank my staff and the city of New Ulm for making this possible,” Knutson said.

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