Emails like this are never well-received, this one even less so (it dinged me midway through the Duke-Baylor game), but here's the bittersweet news, straight from Jean Donnelly and Michael Roberts:
To our dedicated customers:
For the last seven years, we’ve had the good fortune to enjoy your patronage here at Atlas Restaurant. So it is with a heavy heart that we announce that we’re selling Atlas Restaurant. The transfer of ownership is scheduled for Monday, May 31.
Selling was a difficult decision for us. But after almost ten years here in Jean’s native St. Louis, we have decided to return to San Francisco, where Michael is from, and where we both trained and worked for many years.
Yet we will miss St. Louis and all our loyal customers.
You made running the restaurant such a positive experience, your candid feedback immediately gratifying and encouraging. We understand the chance each of you took when you first dined with us. So we consider your subsequent visits and enthusiastic referrals the very foundation of Atlas Restaurant’s success. We also owe a debt of gratitude to the St. Louis press, which so often flattered us with praise in the reviews of Atlas Restaurant.
All this, however, does not mean that Atlas Restaurant is closing. The name isn’t even changing.
We’re all fortunate that Atlas Restaurant will live on under the capable stewardship of Diane and Bryan Carr, owners of Pomme Restaurant and Pomme Café & Wine Bar in Clayton, open since 2002. They told us that they intend to build upon the foundation that we established, “flavoring it with the spirit of our Pomme Restaurants.”
The Carrs will certainly undertake minor alterations to make Atlas Restaurant their own, but they have assured us that it will still have a similar decor, menu, pricing and hours. They will also retain much of our wonderful staff, whom you have come to know. Current reservations and gift certificates will be honored, too.
In short, we feel that our creation couldn’t be in better hands. We encourage everyone to support the “new” Atlas Restaurant as avidly you have supported the “old” one.
In 2003, we set out to create a unique restaurant and dining experience in St. Louis. With your help, we succeeded. And for that, we will forever be grateful.
Thank you, and be sure to stop in during the next the next few weeks so we can say good bye.
Jean and Michael
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My thoughts on Atlas: in short, it was an anomaly. For years, it was my answer to the frequently asked question: "So what's a great place that's not well known?" I never knew why that was (over the years, Atlas has been almost universally praised in the local press, proof here), but judging from the many "yeah, I've heard of that place but never been" responses, I knew I had given an appropriate answer.
Whenever I visited Atlas, an order of Michael's hand-cut bistro fries was mandatory, as was dessert (and it never mattered which one I ordered). The place always seemed to be doing a sustainable business, so I will assume here that Michael and Jean are changing the guard more for personal than financial reasons. Doesn't really matter...what does matter is that St. Louis is lucky that Brian and Diane Carr are taking over and that we have a full 2 months for proper goodbyes, congratulations...and hellos. Suggestion for Bryan Carr: Consider saying hello with an amuse-bouche-size sampling of those tasty bistro fries. -- George Mahe
