Lu’s Sandwiches — Minneapolis, MN

Lu’s Sandwiches, a sandwich shop known for its banh mi sandwiches, was expanding to an upscale location in Northeast Minneapolis. The higher-end fast casual restaurant serves beer, wine, and made-to-order food.

Lu’s was moving into a blank-slate vanilla shell within the Red 20 apartment building in the Nicollet Island-East Bank neighborhood. The space is a corner unit turned on an angle, so space planning was a bit of a challenge. Getting the kitchen and dining to fit in the oddly-shaped unit was what brought owner Quang Pham to PlanForce.

For this new, more upscale location, Pham wanted the sandwich shop to reflect Asian influences, but not feel like a Chinese restaurant. The final look is contemporary, hip, and trendy, with bright, energetic paint colors, a unique, vibrant mural, and warm wood accents that complement the fresh baguettes, vermicelli noodle bowls, and bubble tea.