Takeout pasta restaurant Pasta Buckets opened last week in Waite Park, offering a new, quick comfort food option.
Owner Brandon Gunderson got the idea for Pasta Buckets during his time as director of culinary with the Letnes Restaurant Group, which operates restaurants including Boulder Tap House and Grizzly’s Wood-Fired Grill.
The idea first came to him during the COVID-19 pandemic when he watched sit-down restaurants struggle while fast-food locations stayed open.
“It was always in the back of my mind,” Gunderson said.
He wanted to explore his idea for a takeout-only pasta business while with the Letnes Group, but once the company became busy with rebranding some of its restaurants, Gunderson decided it was time to create the business himself.
Pasta Buckets, which opened on Sept. 9, is meant to provide an affordable alternative to other fast-food locations, he said, as families continue to face elevated grocery costs.
“I have three kids that all eat, and we’re a big family that eats together, we sit down together at night if they’re not too busy,” he said. “The thought would be that people can pick up and feed a family of five or six, and it’s going to be under 50 bucks, and that it’s going to be extremely affordable.”
Pasta Buckets serves varying sizes of pasta to feed groups, ranging from a single person up to gatherings of 12, as well as meatballs, salads, garlic bread and desserts. Customers can choose from spaghetti, penne and macaroni noodles, and red, alfredo, blush and butter sauces, and they also offers gluten-free and vegetarian options.
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Customers can place takeout orders on touchscreen kiosks at the front of the restaurant, and Pasta Buckets delivers via Doordash, Grubhub and Food Dudes. The business has no eat-in options, but it will soon open its private room that can be reserved for parties and meetings.
Gunderson began working on the restaurant this spring and moved into the building in July. His wife and children helped him prepare the restaurant and create recipes. He said Pasta Buckets is a “family affair” inspired by his own childhood, being one of four children in a family that celebrated their homemade spaghetti nights.
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In the future, Gunderson hopes to set up franchises and wants to open five more restaurants within five years. However, he wants to use the next year to perfect this initial location and to continue expanding his catering business, Urban Spoon Catering, which operates out of the same kitchen.
“In order to franchise, everything has to be 100% perfect,” Gunderson said. “It has to be the T’s crossed and I’s dotted.”
Customers can visit Pasta Buckets near the Crossroads Mall at 314 Third St. NE in Waite Park.
