Which restaurants are currently honoring St. Louis Originals gift cards? —Jennifer O., St. Louis
A group of independently owned restaurants formed St. Louis Originals in 2008, in the wake of similar successful programs across the nation, with hopes of raising awareness of the importance of dining locally. For dining patrons, one of the selling points was that the gift cards could be redeemed at participating restaurants, a list that eventually grew to more than 40 eateries. The next year, the Originals sponsored a "Dine Original" Restaurant Week, hosting events for local food-based charities, such as Operation Food Search.
Over the years, however, restaurant participation dwindled. Reached this week, Hamilton Hospitality's Paul Hamilton, the Originals' last president, told SLM that "the group itself is defunct. Basically, restaurant members just stopped participating and never really told anyone that they were no longer involved in the program.
"As of this writing, we are the only ones still participating," Hamilton continued, "but will also cease to do so as of the end of this month, not just because of the fire [that damaged Hamilton Hospitality restaurants Vin de Set, PW Pizza, and 21st Street Brewers Bar] but because everyone else dropped out over the last several months."
Anyone holding a St. Louis Originals gift card can redeem them through the end of October at the following Hamilton Hospitality restaurants: Eleven Eleven Mississippi, Hamilton's Urban Steak House & Bourbon Bar, and Winnie's Wine Bar.
Hamilton added that since the fire has forced three of the operations to temporarily close, possibly for a year, he hopes that guests "spend something above the gift card amount, and after that, keep our remaining operations top of mind for the foreseeable future."
Follow George on Twitter and Instagram, or send him an "Ask George" email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe, sign up for the newsletters, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
