Two guys walk into a bar on Sunday night and order a couple of beers. The bartender serves them, excuses himself, and returns "with much different body language," and tells the guys they might want to finish them up as the bar is "closing early.tonight." Little did they know the bar would be closing for good. Right after they left.
The bar is Primebar in Des Peres and the guys were two cooks from McCormick & Schmick's enjoying a cold one after work. Apparently, the bartender had just been informed by the just-arrived VP of Operations that Primebar was calling it quits. Right then. PrimeBar is owned by Restaurants-America (the company that originally launched Bar Louie), and, according to their website, has 5 other units in 4 other states. .
I remember when I first discovered Primebar was coming to West County Center. News was sketchy, even after the lease was signed. No one was talking, no phone calls were returned. I finally received a return call from their corporate marketing department a week after I posted this. That's a problem. Then the opening was delayed--for six weeks--and when it finally debuted on February 1, almost no one knew about it--It was the softest of soft openings. And no one ever really discovered it, in my opinion, despite a huge selection of beers and cheap (and decent) happy hour food. That's poor marketing folks. Poor planning. And when you're next door to chain behemoths like McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant and BRAVO! Cucina Italiana, you better be ready to slug it out with the big boys.
And here, I'll echo a sentiment that Joe Bonwich mentioned in this morning's announcement of the opening of another West County restaurant. Having a working, informative website up and running prior to opening day is an essential (and almost universally overlooked) aspect of operating a restaurant. A website is now THE principal source of information for today's diner, and if you're serious about opening a restaurant, get serious about its website. Early. And activate the restaurant's phone number while you're at it (even if only has a recorded message), then get a live human on the receiving end as soon as possible. Make some early friends. Create some buzz. Generate and maintain the public's interest, restaurateurs, and scribes like us will be more than happy to push the news along. Hire someone to do this. It's part of the dance. Or, you could end up like PrimeBar, never achieving critical mass. And now back to our regularly scheduled blogpost...
With four big, new restaurants opening in West County Center within 12 months of one another, it was only a matter of time before there would be some attrition. Hanley's Grille & Tap, off by itself at the less-traveled end of the complex, closed in June. And Primebar served its last beers last night.
