"We wanted to find a way to really embrace the curling community here and fortify that relationship." Zach Saueressig, a regional manager with Hightop Hospitality, said that in June. He was describing the restaurant his company had just reopened next to the Chaska Curling Center.
The restaurant sits at 3210 Chaska Blvd, beside the Chaska Curling and Event Center. The remodel turned it toward the ice. It now has tiered, stadium-style seats against the glass and screens that stream games from all six sheets. The 2026–27 winter league season started October 2. That makes this the first season the curling center works as a weeknight show for people who have never thrown a stone. You can order dinner and watch a league match without signing up for anything.
A lease renewal that became a redesign
The change began as routine city business. The City of Chaska owns the restaurant space and leases it out. Crooked Pint Ale House's 10-year lease came up for renewal this spring. City staff and Hightop Hospitality, which also runs Crooked Pint, decided to reinvest in the space instead of renewing the same concept. Crooked Pint served its last Easter brunch and closed at 3 p.m. on April 5.
The city's announcement framed the switch around visitors. It specifically mentioned a dedicated viewing area for championships and bonspiels. The new lease runs 10 years with two five-year renewal options. The restaurant is also the exclusive food and beverage caterer for the Chaska Event Center next door, except for ethnic or religious food needs.
Saueressig explained the concept change in simple terms. "We wanted to try something different here," he told Carver County Local News, "and we specifically wanted to be able to do breakfast." Hightop has run The Copperfield in Mendota Heights since 2021, and the company thought the format would suit Chaska. After about two months of renovation, The Copperfield Neighborhood Diner & Bar opened on June 23.
What the room looks like now
The Star Tribune visited for its Twin Cities Day Trips series this summer. Its writers described ordering food and drinks at the bar, then watching league play from bleacher seats that look over the sheets through a large glass wall. They called it "an unlikely backdrop" for bananas Foster pancakes, a tuna melt topped with potato chips, and a thick slice of coffee cake, which is the pride of the in-house bakery.
Saueressig calls the menu "modern American cuisine." Crooked Pint was a burger-and-beer concept. Breakfast runs from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. every day. Choices range from "The Usual," a plate of ham, hash browns, toast and eggs, to avocado toast with microgreens and a poached egg. Supper starts at 3 p.m., with walleye, steak, burgers, salmon, salads and pastas. "We've really gotten well known for our pastas," he said. The restaurant closes at 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
The late closing time matters because of when the curling happens. League games run Sunday through Friday evenings. The latest draws start at 8:45 p.m., and the restaurant is still open while they play.
Which night to sit by the glass
The curling center opened in December 2015 as part of the Firemen's Park renovation. It has about 1,000 members, which makes it one of the largest curling memberships in the country. The Star Tribune also noted that it serves as a training site for Olympians. Guests and spectators are welcome to watch from the Welcome Hall or from The Copperfield.
Here is the weekly schedule from the 2026–27 league timetable:
| Night | Draws on the 2026–27 timetable |
|---|---|
| Sunday | Open, 4 and 6 p.m. |
| Monday | Women's, 6 p.m.; Open, 8 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Open, 4:45, 6:45 and 8:45 p.m. |
| Wednesday | Corporate, 4:45 p.m.; Mixed, 6:45 p.m. |
| Thursday | Open, 4:45 p.m.; Men's, rotating 6:45 and 8:45 p.m. |
| Friday | Open, 6 p.m.; Beginners, 8 p.m. on alternating weeks |
Tuesday has the most draws, with three evening time slots. Wednesday's 6:45 p.m. Mixed draw lines up with a normal dinner hour. On alternating weeks, the 8 p.m. Friday Beginners draw shows what the sport looks like before the delivery and sweeping are polished. Each team plays 16 games in a season that runs through March 26. The schedule repeats weekly from now until spring.
Getting from the bleachers onto the ice
Team registration for this winter closed after the August 24–September 7 window, though a few individual player spots may still be open. If watching makes you want to try it, the center has a few ways in:
- Curling Night Out, Saturday, October 24. A group of four takes a learn-to-curl session at 5:30 p.m., then has dinner at The Copperfield at 7 p.m., for $360 per group. Register through the city's FinnlySport portal by searching "Curling Night Out."
- Learn to Curl classes. These two-hour public classes cost $30 per person and are booked in groups of one to four. Participants must be 8 or older, and minors come with an adult. Class dates are posted in the same registration portal, not on the website.
- Junior Curling on Saturdays. Sessions run 10 a.m. to noon on October 10, 24 and 31, November 7, 14 and 21, and December 5 and 12, and they require membership.
- Private group events. Two-hour sessions cost $500 for up to 10 people, plus $50 for each additional person. They are offered mostly at midday on weekdays and some weekends, because leagues fill most evenings.
Members get one more reason to stay for dinner. Current curling memberships, which run October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, include a 10% discount at The Copperfield.
The weekend the ice draws a crowd
The city's lease announcement named championships and bonspiels as the occasions the new viewing area was meant for. The next one on the calendar is the MEA Rocks Junior Bonspiel, October 16–18, with competitive and developmental divisions and at least three games per team.
Built into the Firemen's Park campus
Saueressig described the restaurant's setting as part of a larger whole. "We've got this beautiful campus that includes Fireman's Park, the event center and the curling center," he said. "There's always something fun and community-driven going on down here." Over the next two months, that campus and the rest of Chaska have events that work well around a meal by the glass.
Saturday, October 24, is the busiest day. Downtown businesses host trick-or-treating at 2 p.m. as part of the Halloween Sip & Shop. The city's free Halloween Jamboree runs 4–6 p.m. at the Chaska Community Center, 1661 Park Ridge Drive, and the haunted house there has a small fee. Curling Night Out starts at 5:30 p.m. the same evening. Before that, the Fall Market Sip & Shop on October 10 and 17 lets people carry a drink while they browse downtown sales.
In November, the city lists Celebrate India at the Chaska Event Center on November 21, with food, crafts and performances. The next evening, November 22, the Chaska Tree Lighting runs 6–7:30 p.m. at Firemen's Park, with a 50-foot tree, bonfires, s'mores and Santa. The Copperfield shares the campus with both, as part of the same Firemen's Park complex Saueressig described.
Families at a Saturday morning junior session can get breakfast at The Copperfield, since it is served until 3 p.m. The Star Tribune also sent its readers downtown to Red Bench Bakery for croissant breakfast sandwiches and a laminated cinnamon roll.
City-owned places like the Curling Center and Firemen's Park shape everyday life in Chaska, and our family-led team follows them closely from our office on North Chestnut Street. If you'd like to talk about how these amenities factor into Chaska homes, Chestnut Realty is happy to help. Talk with a local Chestnut Realty expert.
