Winona is on the verge of losing one of its most beloved riverfront treasures — not because it failed, but because the City of Winona is choosing to destabilize a thriving, community-serving business.

For 13 years, the Boat House restaurant in Levee Park has been one of Winona’s greatest success stories. It transformed a vacant, long-struggling city building into a vibrant, award-winning destination that has served tens of thousands of residents, visitors, students, and families.

It created jobs.
It elevated our food scene.
It drew national media attention to Winona.
It made our riverfront more alive.

And the City of Winona is now considering taking it away.

 
Why This Matters

A Building No One Could Make Work — Until One Family Saved It

For nearly 15 years, the Levee Park building sat empty or cycled through operators who couldn’t make it succeed. Then, in 2012, local entrepreneur Lyon Smith and a couple of friends stepped in and turned it into something extraordinary

They invested over $100,000 into a building the Boat House does not own, including:
• Maintaining the public restrooms at their own expense
• Installing décor and a full industrial kitchen
• Adding $50,000 in custom riverfront windows (now claimed by the city)

The city, meanwhile, has benefitted from every meal sold, taking a percentage of the Boat House’s gross revenue.

The Community Loves the Boat House
In 2019, the restaurant served roughly 30,000 meals — and it is climbing back toward that level again post-pandemic. There is zero public demand to remove it. No petitions, no outcry, no large-scale complaints.

The public has already voted —
with their feet, their meals, their celebrations, their tourism dollars, and their pride.

 
So What Is Happening?

The City Is Opening the Space to Other Bidders
City officials argue that it’s “fair” and in the “public’s interest” to open the Boat House lease to competitive proposals. But this logic collapses instantly when you consider:

The Boat House took a failing property and made it a jewel
The city has not issued RFPs for other long-term lessees
(Dick’s Marina, Anthem Skate Park, Bud King Ice Arena, Borkowski Towing, etc.)
The city admits investments by lessees should be protected, but is ignoring the Boat House’s investment
There have been no public complaints to justify this disruption
Rumors suggest someone wants “their turn” at the building — a concept better suited for a playground than a city-owned facility
“Their turn” was 13 years ago.
They weren’t interested then.
They didn’t invest.
They didn’t risk anything.
They didn’t build anything.

Now that the Boat House has created something exceptional, someone else wants to step in and take over?

That’s not fairness.
That’s cronyism.

 
Winona Cannot Afford This Mistake

Since the pandemic, Winona has lost a long list of restaurants:

Bub’s Brewing Company
Jefferson’s Pub & Grill
Ground Round
Betty Jo’s
Two Cha Chi’s locations
The Oaks
Ristorante Sapori di Sicilia (the new restaurant - not the cafe. The Sapori di Sicilia cafe is alive and well)
Ridgelands Coffeehouse
The Black Horse

And now Norvary is for sale.

Our food scene is fragile.
Our tourism economy is fragile.

Why would the city take away from Winonans a beloved restaurant that is truly thriving?

 
A Troubling Delay

The RFP deadline was November 4.
The city promised a decision by November 18.
Without explanation, that decision was delayed a full month.

Only two proposals were reportedly submitted.
So what exactly needed four additional weeks?

Something about this process does not feel transparent — and the people of Winona deserve answers.

 
What We Are Asking For

We call on the Winona City Council to:

✔ RENEW the Boat House contract for a reasonable term
✔ RESPECT the investment this local family has made
✔ REJECT cronyism, favoritism, and “their turn” politics
✔ PROTECT the restaurant Winonans clearly love

This is our riverfront.
This is our community.
This is our gathering place.

And the Boat House is one of the best gifts we’ve been given.

Sign this petition to tell the City of Winona loud and clear:
**SAVE THE BOAT HOUSE.
SAVE WHAT IS OURS.
SAVE WHAT MAKES WINONA STRONG.**