For sale: one 65-foot-tall Ferris wheel, custom-designed for dining. May be purchased on its own or along with a property that once hosted one of the state’s most outlandish “eatertainment” concepts.

The wheel debuted in 2014 as part of Betty Danger’s: a sprawling, self-described “country club on crack” that skewered snobbery by mixing the preppie aesthetic with artsy kitsch, a Mexico-meets-Hamptons menu and a mini-golf course. Betty’s was one of a rare few Ferris wheel dining establishments in the country.

After Betty Danger’s closed in 2022, the restaurant and Ferris wheel were purchased by Joe Radaich, who owned Sporty’s Pub and Grill/Como Tap in Minneapolis, for $3.5 million.

Radaich’s Hey Y’all, Tipsy Taco Bar opened in May 2025 but closed in February.

After Radaich defaulted, the wheel and property returned to Betty Danger’s owner, Leslie Bock, the lively entrepreneur behind the now-shuttered Uptown tattoo/body piercing studio St. Sabrina’s and Northeast’s Psycho Suzi’s and Donny Dirk’s Zombie Den. “Surprisingly, there are a lot of ways to utilize a Ferris wheel at a restaurant,” Bock wrote in an email. “Each table is like a private dining room.”

Bock is retired and lives in Texas. She has many fond memories about the wheel, which she helped design after meeting a charming Italian Ferris wheel maker at a bar (its own story).

Bock worked with an Italian amusement ride maker to create what she described as a “revolving vertical patio” to incorporate a swiveling dining table and cup holders in each of the 16 gondolas. It seats up to 64 adults. The wheel hosted business meetings, brainstorming sessions, weddings, baby announcements and a quinceañera, Bock said. The most popular special-occasion request was for engagements.

In the case of one unfortunate request, the potential bride-to-be said “no.” “Needless to say, the groom ‘not-to-be’ was quite upset, but proceeded to stay at the restaurant and drink cocktails for the next few hours,” she wrote. “The staff tried their best to console him.”

Bock says she created the wheel out of a desire to eat and drink while admiring Minneapolis’ gorgeous riverfront/skyline views from on high.

She’d love to see the wheel stay right where it’s at, in Northeast’s creativity-fueled Arts District, or at least remain in the city. But she’d settle for a permanent installation at the Minnesota State Fair.

Bock is asking $275,000 for the wheel. She estimates it would be about $100,000 to disassemble and erect the 60,000- pound structure.

The property, at Marshall Street and Lowry Avenue beside the Mississippi River, is listed at $3.1 million. It includes the restaurant and patio that, together, seat roughly 500 people. rachel.hutton@startribune.com