Cafe features a small menu, with meals made from scratch

By Mady Leick

At Hey Bear Café in south St. Anthony Park, the restaurant serves breakfast food six days a week that more than scratches the surface.

Located at 791 Raymond Ave., the family-owned business features a menu of only eight food choices. But nearly everything is made from scratch. Biscuits are made weekly. Beans, beets and all sauces are made in-house.

The menu centers on classic breakfast sandwiches, including Reubens and Cubanos, along with coffees, teas and soft drinks.

“We have a smaller menu that’s focused,” owner Sampson Benti said. “It helps us manage the inventory and also keeps everything fresh and sustainable.”

Benti took over in July after the previous owner closed the restaurant in May. He said he owes a lot to the former owner, Sean Person, who opened the restaurant in September 2024.

Benti said taking over the restaurant has not been easy, but the café has enjoyed strong community backing. “We get a lot of support from the neighborhood,” he said. “About 50% or more of our customers are repeat customers.”

Hey Bear manager Yogi Elliot said it took a while to get their menu right, but they’ve made changes to improve the original recipes. She said they completely revised their biscuit recipe, changing the shape from circle to square.

“Whenever we’ve changed, we’ve changed for the better,” Benti said. “We’ve made it simpler and we have not compromised any of the qualities that they [previous owners] tried to sustain.”

The kitchen can be seen from the front of the restaurant. Inside customers can watch their food being made to order.

“The kitchen is small and efficient,” Benti said.

With daily specials, the six-table interior contains pictures of bears, a signature of the restaurant. Hanging above the condiment station is Hey Bear’s mission statement that reads: “We’re dedicated to serving our community with healthy and delicious food in eco-friendly ways.”

The restaurant uses mainly compostable packaging to minimize its impact on the environment, according to the mission statement.

Hey Bear plans to expand its hours and is in the process of adding a nonalcoholic full bar, opening the business to Gen Z customers, who are drinking less than other generations.

Benti also hopes to open additional Hey Bear locations. 

Mady Leick is a third-year University of Minnesota journalism and English student serving as an intern reporter for the Park Bugle.

Photo: Hey Bear Café is a breakfast stop in south St. Anthony Park that serves up home-styled sustainable meals. Photo by Mady Leick.