Westport Plaza continues to evolve, a decade after Lodging Hospitality Management (LHM) acquired the 42-acre Maryland Heights complex. Among the additions: The Porter, a 255-unit residential building (the first for the development), as well as two restaurants: 360 West and Soda Fountain Express, spinoff versions of their flagship equivalents. Rawlings Sporting Goods will also move its headquarters to Westport Plaza. And LHM will be completing renovations of Westport Plaza’s two Sheraton hotels, as well as adding new green space for concerts and other outdoor events.
Soda Fountain Express
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
Slated to open in the former Saint Louis Bread Co. location next June, Soda Fountain Express will span 4,500 square feet, a smaller footprint than the flagship The Soda Fountain (201 S. 18th), a popular burgers and sweet treats attraction at St. Louis Union Station. It will serve the same burgers, sandwiches, and a more modest size version of the creative Freak Shakes. Given the office park setting, however, the menu will be tailored more toward super-quick service and less expensive grab-and-go fare, supplemented by a tempting add-on: nostalgic candy.
360 West
Slated for completion in December 2023, the restaurant/bar will be located on the 12th floor of the Gold Tower, long considered the beacon of Westport Plaza. (The prior tenant, Kobe Steak House of Japan, relocated to the former Ozzie’s at Westport space in 2018.)
At 13,000 square feet and close to 300 seats, the 360 spinoff is larger than the flagship Three Sixty (1 S. Broadway), the rooftop restaurant/bar atop the St. Louis Hilton at the Ballpark, but not located on the rooftop, says LHM’s Steve O’Laughlin. Floor-to-ceiling nano windows create panoramic views. “The ones facing the plaza will be operable,” O’Laughlin explains, “which can happen even if it’s raining.”
The design of the new space will be even more robust than at the downtown location. “Downtown has the views of Busch stadium on one side and the Arch on the other,” O’Laughlin says. “At Westport, it was important for the interior components to be over-the-top.”
Atlanta-based Johnson Studio at Cooper Carry, designers of the flagship 360, is spearheading the $6 million project.
Westport’s existing roster of restaurants includes Drunken Fish, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Jovick Brothers Deli, Kemoll’s Chop House, Kobe Steak House of Japan, Trainwreck Saloon, and Westport Social, the 13,000-square-foot games and good times emporium.
Rawlings & Renovations
In other developments, LHM announced that Rawlings Sporting Goods will move its headquarters from Town & Country to the Gold Tower at the Plaza, erecting a highly visible gold glove atop the space, a tribute to the company and the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, which is awarded annually to Major League Baseball’s best fielding players. A retail component will display and sell Rawlings’ full line of baseball and softball products, as well as a wide array of customizable options.
Additionally, LHM will be completing renovations of Westport Plaza’s two Sheraton hotels in 2023, as well as adding new green space within the plaza for concerts and other outdoor events.
“We thought we’d announce all of the new developments at once,” O’Loughlin says.
