Why aren’t there more late-night dining options in St. Louis? —Mark G., St. Louis
When industry people—owners, chefs, managers, bartenders, kitchen staffers—are asked what they'd like to see improved and expanded across the St. Louis food scene, they frequently suggest late-night dining options.
So why don’t they do something about it? Why hasn’t someone opened a high-quality, chef-driven restaurant that stays open into the wee hours? The answer: They have.
Most of the restaurants that have tinkered with late-night hours, however, have scaled back. It happens all the time here. What seems like a good idea ultimately isn’t. The reason isn’t that eating late isn't good for your body or the adage that “nothing good ever happens after midnight." It’s lack of demand, with a side of labor cost.
Late-night happy hours (often featuring shots and cheap eats) are often geared to industry people, and some, like Mission Taco Joint’s easy-to-remember version ($2 happy hour, late night, every night) are extremely successful. But the majority aren’t.
Brant Baldanza, managing partner of OG Hospitality Group, says they tried late-night programs at venues in both the county (the Corner Pub & Grill location in Chesterfield) and city (the now-shuttered Tavern location in the Central West End), but cancelled them due to lack of interest. “It takes volume to justify keeping a cook on late, and remember you’re selling discounted food,” he says. “Even if a manager does the cooking, you still have the cost of utilities.”
Derek Deaver, owner of Three Kings Pub (four locations, including Lambert Airport, which was just nominated for Best Airport Bar) says that late night food works well at the Delmar Loop location (concerts and college kids are the draw) but not further into the county, due to "Uber and changing habits," which he explains as "staying home or going to house parties and getting GrubHub."
While industry people and second-shift workers are passionate late-night supporters, they represent only a small subsection of a medium-tier city market. Except for certain areas—the Delmar Loop, The Grove, pockets of downtown (such as Spruce Street)—there’s simply not enough general customers to sustain after-hours dining programs.
When forthcoming attractions with a larger footprint get up and running—for instance, City Foundry and the new amenities at Union Station—all that may change, though.
If you have a question for George, email him at gmahe@stlmag.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @stlmag_dining. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
