Milton's restaurant in Crystal faces closure, but neighbors aren't letting go

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2. Milton's restaurant was going to close, but its customers had other plans, Star Tribune, 10/30/25

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/milton-s-restaurant-was-going-to-close-but-its-customers-had-other-plans/ar-AA1Pwy4S

No paywall at the MSN-hosted article. No quotas, no gimme-your-email-first, none of that.

Fran Weber had decided she couldn’t take running Milton’s Vittles, Vino and Beer anymore.

For the past 13 years, the restaurant gave the suburb of Crystal a chance to taste her late son’s recipes. It had been six years since Chad Freeman died on his 37th birthday, and Weber said the restaurant now needed regular infusions of her cash. In September, she announced
that October would be Milton’s last month.

But its patrons had other plans. They set up a crowdfunding campaign on Weber’s behalf, giving more than $20,000 — enough to stay open through the end of year. Mostly, their words convinced her to grab the lifeline.

. . .

Serving up homey classics like pot roast, matzo ball soup and mac and cheese, for some longtime customers, Milton’s has become comfort food in more ways than one. For Garcia-Jones, the soup was the last thing the mother of her fiancé ate before she died. And when her younger brother died in April, she found herself back at Milton’s, if not just to talk with Fran’s daughter, Char Freeman.

Milton’s knows about loss, too. Weber, in part, started it as a family operation — Char, the face, and her son, Chad, the chef. It’s Chad’s recipes that Milton’s serves, even six years after he fell from his bike, later developing a blot clot from which he didn’t survive.

. .. There are regular posts on Milton’s Facebook page, which gives frank updates on where the restaurant stands.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100061116949007

Milton’s, 3545 Douglas Dr. N., Crystal, https://miltonsvvb.com/

Fund raiser: https://givebutter.com/MiltonsVVB?s=NYFt8V

An October 31 notice on their Facebook page says they are removing the December 31 end date. "From here forward, I'll stay just as transparent as always, expect updates as necessary. If it ever becomes clear that we can't continue, you'll know well in advance. There will be no surprises"