Ask George: What’s the best way to close a restaurant—announce it in advance or just shut it down unceremoniously?

Ask George: What’s the best way to close a restaurant—announce it in advance or just shut it down unceremoniously? — Joseph B., St. Louis

This question came on the heels of the recent closing of Dave & Tony’s Premium Burger Joint in Creve Coeur. So many factors come into play when a restaurant closes that there’s no easy answer how best to do so. In my opinion, there is a preferred way, but first, let’s examine a few of the scenarios (all of which have occurred in St. Louis in the past few years):

Worst case:

Just after the restaurant closes for the evening, a handful of moving trucks show up in the dead of night and rid the establishment of some or all of its contents—cooking equipment, pots and pans, wall décor, chandeliers, liquor/wine—any and all could disappear. A parting note may or may not get posted. Owner is often MIA and the employees are left upset, confused, and often unpaid, as are the restaurant’s vendors. Desperate people do desperate things. Leave it at that.

More common cases:

• Health issues (sudden or otherwise) prompt an immediate closure or an act of God.
• A restaurant fire always fuels speculation as to its true cause.
• Failure of a major piece of equipment (like an exhaust hood or an HVAC system) can cast a death knell, as replacement is costly.
• A partnership squabble can cause a quick exit, as can an unfulfilled promise of needed funds.
• Retirement, with no successors to the business, is a common culprit.
• If a liquor license is revoked (or not renewed) means the party’s literally over.
• Poor or inadequate cash flow is often the cause of a restaurant’s closure (especially a new one). For example, few places open with enough cash on hand to withstand a slower than expected off-season or even a month of nasty weather.
• Even changes in roads and traffic patterns (remember when Manchester Road at 270 was easily navigable?) can be catastrophic.
• And sometimes the owner is just so embarrassed, dejected, and depressed that (s)he just shuts it down one night, rather than announce the closure and have to face night after night of lamenting customers. One owner told me it was like attending a new funeral every night until the final one. 

Best case:

I still contend that if you have to fold your tent, treat the closure like an Irish wake: make a big deal out of it. Announce the closure a week to months in advance (like Bill Cardwell did when he closed Cardwell’s at the Plaza), spread it around social media, and let customers (new and old) enjoy a last visit or two. Unexpected bills get paid and cash often gets banked. Plus, employees tend to stay around, both because the business level is so robust and they know the exposure may net a job offer somewhere else. It’s an “everybody wins” situation.

The only time that such a situation gave me pause was years ago when I attended the swan song of Zinnia in Webster Groves. It was a Sunday evening and the restaurant was beyond jam packed. The party had spread to the overflowing parking lot. 

I’d never seen more sweat pour off a forehead than off the brow of owner/chef David Guempel, who was cooking, serving, expediting—desperately trying to keep up with it all. I remember watching him scan the room, his lips tightening. He shook his head, our eyes met, and I clearly read the following nonverbal: “If a fraction of you people would have stopped by just a little more often, this all could have been avoided.”

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