Where Minnehaha Creek meets the Mississippi, in a corner shaded by oak trees, you will find Sea Salt Eatery. What used to be a gift shop traded its saltwater taffy and popcorn for something a little saltier in 2005, when Jon Blood and Chris Weglinski opened up the beloved Minnehaha Park restaurant. Jon Blood had been at Coastal Seafood for years, and jumped at the chance when the park location opened.
“He knew about fish and I knew about business analysis, so I was able to bring that to the team,” said Bill Blood, Jon’s brother and current co-owner of Sea Salt. He started with the team in 2009, when his main job was being a stay at home dad to his two daughters, Lucy and Violet. As the girls grew up, he got more involved with Sea Salt, becoming general manager in 2012 and an owner in 2023 when Weglinski retired.
A lot has changed since the eatery opened, when most of the staff were experienced restaurant workers. Blood said, “It was just smaller staff and veteran people, mostly partiers and hardcore drinkers,”
A typical atmosphere for those who work in the restaurant industry, but one that wouldn’t last for long with Sea Salt.
Sea Salt’s first younger worker came in the early days of Blood’s time with them, as he remembers Caz wearing a leather jacket to the interview.
“He came in the middle of the summer and we gave him a job washing dishes, now he’s a manager. He’s worked in tons of restaurants and eventually came back to us,”
Blood reflects on the impact that the restaurant has on those who pass through, with most returning the following year. From the first hire, Caz brought in his friends who brought in theirs. Each year, the number of younger employees grew.
Today, Blood says, “It’s all high school and college age kids,”. This is reflected in the atmosphere of the restaurant, with a staff that bumps along to R&B or chat with each other as they take orders and pour drinks. The bond that the staff shares is reflected in their service, a well oiled machine that efficiently speeds through the infamous line every summer night.
“We get these kids before most people appreciate them and it really helps us be successful,” Blood says, clearly sharing his love for his staff. Most days, he works alongside them, from running trays to preparing food. This friendly dynamic shows in other ways than just the service, but Sea Salt’s eatery experience too.
“Every sandwich here is inspired by someone that works here or a friend of ours,” says Blood, commenting on Sea Salt’s sister restaurant, The Sandwich Room. In an effort to make Sea Salt more accessible to the Minnehaha Park community, they opened the Sandwich Room on the inside of the park building.
The vibrant and active park community sparked the idea for the sandwich bar, giving folks an “on the go” option. “Seafood doesn’t really travel well,” says Blood, “It’s easier to grab a couple of sandwiches and go a couple of miles, or park and sit in the grass,”
Blood’s daughters, Violet and Lucy, have sandwiches named after them as well. The #4 “Violet”, is a caprese-like sandwich served on ciabatta from Patisserie 46 and one of the most ordered options. Despite working with his daughters most days, Blood doesn’t see them as much as one would expect. Between the restaurant rush and daily routine, they prefer to catch up over the kitchen counter at home at the end of the day.
His daughter’s friends get to be a part of the fun as well, bringing in staff from their teams and groups. “There’s kids I met when Lucy was in first grade that I knew would work here some day,” Blood reflects on the long term impact of the family business.
Yet, despite working in a seafood restaurant, most of the Bloods don’t get to appreciate the deliciously fried food. In a stroke of irony, Bill Blood developed a crab and lobster allergy as an adult, and both Lucy and Violet are vegetarians. Jon Blood, his co-owner, has a shrimp allergy as well.
Sea Salt will reopen for it’s summer season in April of 2026, open daily from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m. until October.
