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What restaurant concepts will be continuing or emerging in St. Louis in 2023? —Jason R., St. Louis
In December, Restaurant Business published this article about the “hot restaurant concepts of 2022,” which prompted the above question. Some of the aforementioned concepts did not move the needle in St. Louis, others did, and some of the local “hotties” were not even mentioned. Crab boil restaurants are not expanding in the metro, along with the number steakhouses and cookie shops which remain relatively stable. Here are some other dining/drink trends that appear to be on the upswing in St. Louis:
“Daytime Dining Specialists” (industry speak for full-service restaurants that serve an upscale breakfast, lunch, and brunch, with a focus on cocktails) are on the rise locally, taking advantage of employees’ flexible work schedules and their ability to have a mimosa on a Tuesday if they so desire. Following the lead of local industry leader Shack, Kingside Diner is in expansion mode, hatch’d is busy all the time, as is the super-chill Fleur STL and Grand Pied (where it’s BYOB). Momo in Rock Hill is also slated to open soon.
Golf concepts will likely gain traction in 2023, as evidenced by the opening of Puttshack, a St. Louis City location of Topgolf, and the recently opened X-Golf Indoor Golf Simulator in Ellisville.
Restaurant Business didn’t mention the popularity of pickleball. In metro St. Louis, Chicken N Pickle will open a location at Riverpointe in St. Charles, and a Real Dill Pickleball Club is slated to open a complex at The District in Chesterfield, with both offering food and beverage.
To accommodate the interest in CITY SC, several soccer-themed restaurant/bars will open in St. Louis, among them The Pitch Athletic Club & Tavern and the second location of Amsterdam Tavern.
To satisfy the ongoing need for delivered meals, ghost kitchens will continue to materialize: The four-concept Kitchen Clayton opened in October, and the 20-plus-unit concept operated by CloudKitchens is taking shape along Hampton Avenue.
With the rising acceptance of CBD- and THC-infused products, expect to see more restaurateurs testing the market with experimental pop-up dinners and events. The Chartreuse Dinner Club currently hosts several dinners every month, each course infused with THC or CBD. And Cannabrunch, a collaboration between Pop’s Blue Moon and Yonder Eats, hosted its first event last month and plans to offer the brunch monthly as well as infused appetizer nights.
The hole left in the bagel market by the closing of The Bagel Factory will be filled by several new businesses, among them Lefty's Bagels and Bagel Union, from the owners of Union Loafers.
Continuing the trend from last year, the most active restaurant segment will be Mexican food. Following Sal y Limon and Cowbron (which both opened just before the end of the year) will be El Milagro Azteca in Southwest Garden, Locoz Tacoz in Maplewood, a second Taco Buddha location in Kirkwood, a second Carreta's location in Valley Park, a third San Jose location in Ellisville, Condado Tacos at Ballpark Village, Taco Love in DeBaliviere Place, and the relocation of Más Tequila Cantina from Laclede’s Landing to Soulard.
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