Close the betting window. Stop the speculation. Shut down the rumor mill...well, as far as Pi is concerned anyway. The deal was inked last night and an early morning drive-by past the former Two Nice Guys/Trattoria Two restaurant in Kirkwood confirmed it. Replacing the "For Lease" letters on the curbside readerboard: "Coming Soon, Pi Pizzeria."
The second location for Pi, the busting-at-the-seams, mega-monster, even-Obama-loves-it pizzeria should open in about 90 days, according to owner Chris Sommers. The menu will be basically the same as the original location, but the decor be different, leaning more toward "Old World Italian."
The building at 10935 Manchester was the birthplace of the original Two Nice Guys restaurant over 35 years ago. But last January, then-owners Chris and Cassie Kramer closed the restaurant (as reported here ), citing increasing costs and and a 20% drop in sales. Chris' father, Ron Kramer, a business and restaurant broker for Cardinal Realty Group (and one of the original "two nice guys"), negotiated the deal with Pi.
Over the years, the building has undergone several renovations. The current configuration has 2 dining rooms and a patio on the main floor plus a more casual lower level below, with its own entrance and patio, aimed squarely at larger groups and families. Projected inside seating at Pi2 will be close to 200, which is quite a bit larger than the always-busy East Loop location. Any speculation on how long table waits will be here? -- George Mahe
