Skyway restaurant Vellee Deli is closing for good after a 14-year run in downtown Minneapolis.

Owners William Xiong and Joyce Truong announced via social media on Sunday that they’ve decided to end operations at their remaining locations in the Baker Center and Brooklyn Park. The husband-and-wife duo said they “knew the clock was ticking” after they were forced to close Vellee Deli’s Northeast location seven months ago.

“With legal matters still looming, we held the line for as long as we could, just to give you a little more time with Vellee,” the announcement reads.

Vellee Deli started as a food truck serving Asian-Mexican fusion in 2011 and moved to Baker Center’s skyway in 2015. A full-fledged restaurant in the Nicollet Island-East Bank neighborhood followed in 2022, but “relentless road construction” made it impossible to turn a profit and pay rent, according to Xiong and Troung. 

All three of Vellee Deli’s locations closed indefinitely last September, and a fundraiser launched, with the goal of collecting $150,000 to settle $90,000 in unpaid rent and keep the restaurant going. The skyway outpost was able to quickly reopen from the temporary closure.

“We fought through every pivot, every setback, every unexpected challenge. From early mornings to late nights, from food truck days to brick-and-mortar life, we gave it everything we had,” Xiong and Troung said in their latest announcement. “But sometimes, no matter how hard you fight, life decides for you.”