In an effort to foster bipartisanship, a restaurant in Minnesota is offering complimentary meals to state legislators who are willing to share a meal with colleagues from the opposite political party.
Sweeney’s Saloon, located in Saint Paul, has introduced the “Dine Across the Aisle” initiative, which will be available until the conclusion of the 2026 legislative session in May. This initiative aims to ease the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans, as reported by KARE11.
Will Rolf, the owner of Sweeney’s Saloon, reached out to every Minnesota State Capitol lawmaker via email, inviting them to enjoy a free lunch and beer as part of this goodwill gesture intended to promote political harmony.
“I initiated this because there’s been a trend of both sides vilifying each other. I believe that without cooperation, progress can’t be made,” Rolf explained to the news outlet.
The promotion quickly saw participation, with Republican Representative Bjorn Olson and Democrat Representative Brad Tabke coming together at Sweeney’s Saloon for a meal and a drink, setting aside their political differences.
In a lighthearted Instagram post, the restaurant shared a photo of the two representatives, stating, “While a fool and his money are always welcome at Sweeney’s, Republican State Representative Bjorn Olson from Fairmont and Democrat State Representative Brad Tabke from Shakopee are no fools—they enjoyed a free lunch and beer with our ‘Dine Across the Aisle’ promotion.”
“Not everybody has to agree on everything. It’s okay to not agree and still be people who get together and still have fun,” Tabke told the outlet.
Rolf said that Olson and Tabke are the only politicians to take up the lunch special so far — but he has heard from others who are possibly interested in taking up the offer before the legislative session ends on May 18.
