FARGO — Construction in the metro area remains strong, with several projects expected to wrap up in 2026. However, the future is still unknown for a number of projects, including a proposed Target in south Fargo, that are still working their way through the permitting process.
See below for updates on several projects we wrote about in 2025.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Monday, Jan. 5, will mark the return of Taco John’s to the metro area. Fargo-based Pentex Restaurant Group is opening the restaurant at 4522 26th Ave. S. in Fargo, a space formerly home to a Taco John’s under a different franchisee.
That location, as well as the other Taco John’s in the metro area, closed in 2023, forcing fans to
travel to nearby locations in Valley City, Wahpeton and elsewhere for their fix.
Pentex CEO Brett Itterman told The Forum in October that the company has a goal of opening a total of three Taco John’s in the Fargo area over the next two years or so, with possibly more to follow. A building permit has been issued for a second restaurant at 2253 University Drive S., a location once home to a Burger King in the former Kmart parking lot.
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Levo Credit Union will open its first branch in Fargo Jan. 5 at 2975 Uptown Way. Levo’s services include checking and savings accounts, auto loans, mortgage loans, home equity loans, credit cards, business loans and more.
Levo announced in January 2023 that it would soon offer financial services to 29 counties stretching along the I-29 corridor from Sioux City, Iowa to Fargo.
“We chose Fargo/Moorhead because it’s such a vibrant community and we feel we have something of value to bring to it,” said Levo President and CEO Fran Sommerfeld via press release. “Our mission is helping people live better. This includes offering them financial products to reach their goals and offering support to the communities we serve.”
The not-for-profit cooperative has over 37,000 members with six locations in Sioux Falls, S.D., and one Sioux City, Iowa, in addition to Fargo. For more information, visit
David Samson / The Forum
NRG Adventure Park is
expected to open soon
inside the former Gordman’s building at 5100 14th Ave. S. in Fargo.
The location will offer a never-before-seen attraction mix, including a ninja course, ropes course and foam pit activities such as free jump, toddler rush and sensory jump, along with special events like Neon Nights, according to Zac Wittman, head of operations for NRG Adventure Parks.
“NRG Fargo is not just your standard Trampoline Park,” he said. “It truly is a social destination for all ages. We are partnering with worldwide known manufacturers such as Rugged Interactive, Valo and Headrush to bring safe entertainment for every age.”
For more information, visit
Chris Flynn / The Forum
Fuji Hibachi Express and Poke Bowl
Fuji Hibachi Express and Poke Bowl is expected to open soon at 2600 52nd Ave. S. in Fargo, the former home of Red River Coffee Co.
In a
June interview with The Forum,
Jesse Morrow, an official with Diversified Contractors Inc., described Fuji Hibachi Express and Poke Bowl as an express-style restaurant offering Asian cuisine.
Contributed / Bar 209.
Bar 209 will soon open at 3788 55th Ave. S. in Fargo.
The
business is owned by Derek Leach,
who got his start owning and operating a Bar 209 and Red Stu Breakfast Bar in Bemidji, Minn., with his brother, Brett Leach.
When contacted earlier this month, Leach said while an official opening date has not been set, “things are moving in the right direction.”
Chris Flynn / The Forum
The first of several Kwik Trip and Kwik Star stores opened in Fargo, Moorhead and Dilworth in 2025.
According to city of Fargo permit records, other locations where it appears Kwik Star stores will be built include 4177 Crossroads Drive S. and the 4500 block of 37th Avenue South.
Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum
JD Sports is
expected to open soon in the West Acres Shopping Center
in the space across from Claire’s and Dry Goods.
The franchise specializes in sports fashion, with brands that include Nike, Puma, Jordan, The North Face, New Balance, Vans, Birkenstock, UGG and more.
Phoenix Buffet is expected to open this year in the former Mexican Village location at 3155 45th St. S. in Fargo.
The city of Fargo issued a permit July 11, 2025, to New Fortune Real Estate for work necessary to “convert the former Mexican restaurant into an Asian buffet restaurant.”
The Mexican Village restaurant on 45th Street
closed in 2024.
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
Randy’s University Diner is planning a move to 2301 University Drive S., just across University Drive from its current location, according to an Aug. 11, 2025, Facebook post by owner Heidi Roggenkamp.
The move to the Midtown Market is necessary because the restaurant has outgrown its current space and because of challenges created by an aging building, according to the post.
The first Randy’s Diner in Fargo opened in 1980
at 2601 University Drive S., and Roggenkamp opened Randy’s Diner Too at 641 32nd Ave. W. in West Fargo in 2022.
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
A 7 Brew Coffee may open this year at 2900 52nd Ave. S. in Fargo.
An application for a building permit was filed with the city of Fargo Dec. 11, 2025. If approved, this would be the first 7 Brew location in Fargo.
A
7 Brew Coffee opened in the Brookdale Shopping Center
at 24th Avenue and Eighth Street South in Moorhead in July.
The city of Fargo issued a $1.3 million building permit Nov. 26 to Katz Builders LLC for the construction of a new restaurant in an undeveloped lot at 5570 32nd Ave. S. in Fargo.
According to permit records, the restaurant will be called La Terraza. Work will include “new construction of wood framed, V-A, single story dining restaurant and associated infrastructure on unimproved land. There will be a 1,000-square-foot exterior patio area as well.”
Chris Flynn / The Forum
A Wingstop restaurant could open this year in the Midtown Market development at 2302 University Dr. S., in Fargo.
An
application for a permit to build
a Wingstop in Suite 115 was filed Sept. 11, 2025.
Wingstop, an aviation-themed brand best known for its chicken wings,
opened a Fargo location in March of 2019
at 2653 45th St. S.
By November of that year
the franchise had closed, along with a Marco’s Pizza
that was co-located with Wingstop at the 45th Street address.
Plans for a new Chick-Fil-A restaurant were submitted to the Fargo Planning Department for review Sept. 3, 2025.
If approved, construction could soon begin at 2301 55th St. S.
Fargo’s first
Chick-Fil-A
restaurant opened in 2018 and a second opened in North Dakota State University’s Memorial Union in 2024.
An application for a permit to build a new Target at 4814 38th St. S. was filed with the city of Fargo Oct. 13, 2025.
That permit is still under review, with a note included on the city’s website stating “a payment in the amount of $19,751.47 is required for further processing.”
This isn’t the first time the status of the store has been in question.
News of a possible second store broke in February of this year, when a store near the northwest intersection of Interstate 29 and 52nd Avenue South in Fargo was listed as an “upcoming location” at
However, the south Fargo store was later removed from the upcoming location list.
The Forum will continue to monitor the status of this project and others in the coming year.
