What can a restaurant owner do to increase his volume without increasing his rent? Simply set up some tables outside...on the grass, on a patio, and there's always the sidewalk (hey, it works in Clayton). And how to compensate for the vagaries of St. Louis weather? Enclose the whole shebang. That's what several local restaurant owners are doing this season:
On Tuesday, Stellina Pasta Cafe cranked open the windows of its new addition, faced with recycled-brick. This is a long-overdue improvement...the dining room proper had too few seats and the prior sidewalk patio was on a downhill lie--unsettling, to say the least. Thanks, Stellina, we were getting a little woozy.
In the planning and approval stages for several years, the long-awaited patio enclosure at City Coffehouse and Creperie will be in place within the next few months, assures owner Ann Gallardo. Taking a cue from Oceano, its neighbor to the north, CCC will have operable windows to maintain an open-air feel.
John St. Eve of Nachomama's chose to enclose his street-facing outdoor tables with a roofed structure, stone pillars, a knee wall, and drop-down windows. Projected completion is "sometime" in May, as the permit process squelched the planned cinco opening. But will it have the same funky/dive/cantina vibe we've all come to enjoy (or at least tolerate)? That kind of atmosphere is hard to duplicate using new stone and fresh paint...meet me there and we'll rough up the place.
Then there's Hacienda. Can anyone believe Hacienda? In mid-March, acres of what I call "planvas" (plastic canvas with clear plastic windows) were mysteriously installed over most of its ever-evolving patio and bar...so much planvas that cynics like me were wondering if owner Mark Sesti had a side interest in a tent company. The upshot is that Hacienda has gained 150 cold-weather seats, so frozen margaritas can now be served "outside" throughout the winter. But don't despair, sun worshippers and Cinco de Mayo revelers...I've been assured the roofed maze will be removed before next month's fiesta, only to be reassembled when the frost is on the calabaza. -- George Mahe
