Late last Friday afternoon, Frank Schmitz, owner of Bocci Bar at 16 N. Central in Clayton, announced via Facebook that the restaurant would be closing after service the following evening and to “stop by and say your goodbyes this weekend! We will still have the space for private events.”
Schmitz also owns BARcelona and Coastal Bistro & Bar. All three restaurants are located in the same block of N. Central Ave in downtown Clayton.
In an oral statement given to SLM this morning, Schmitz said the following:
“Bocci Bar closed after service last Saturday evening. We would like to thank all of our customers—at all three of our restaurants—for the support we’ve received over the years. As we come to the end of the lease at Bocci, we are considering changing the concept to something different.” That lease ends on November 30.
Schmitz added that “we will be honoring Bocci gift cards at our other two restaurants" and to "stay tuned for updates and a new venture.”
The original restaurant, Bocci Bar, morphed into Bocci Wine Bar in April 2014, a "“no reservations, no fuss, small plates wine bar,” according to Schmitz.
When pressed for details on the closure, Schmitz was realistic: “You know, our other restaurants are doing great, as is the BARcelona in Indianapolis,” he said. “Not every horse is a winner. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly how that happens, but you have to get over it.”
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
