Hanley’s Grille & Tap's second location in West County Center closed last June; last night, the flagship store in St. Clair Square followed suit.
SLM liked Hanley's, and said so in a First Look and later in a Dave Lowry full-on review in April 2010.
The genesis of these two places was unusual, though…both were in former J Buck’s locations, they opened within six weeks of one another, and did so at a time when largish dinner houses were on the wane. So why do such a thing? What many people fail to realize is that restaurants are conceived, drawn up, and funded way before--sometimes years before--they open, in this case when the economy was less volatile.
In addition, the St. Louis location suffered from being in a distant corner of West County Center, far removed from the scrum of McCormick and Schmicks, BRAVO!, and the now-departed PrimeBar. Relish hinted that Hanley’s #2 may never have had a chance at that time and in that location.
The Fairview Heights store (located on a prominent bump-out at St. Clair Square) seemed better suited to succeed, but as Relish was unable to reach Hanley's owner, the specific reasons for the closure are unknown. One generalization: Those in the trade know that restaurants in shopping malls do well through the holidays, and, due to the redemption of shopping mall gift cards, stay busy well into January and February as well. March, though, is a tough month, a month when many non-performers choose to pull the plug.
