In what may become a common restaurant refrain, the area’s first “closed for the winter” announcement arrived this afternoon.
Bogart’s Smokehouse and Southern will temporarily close in early October (Bogart’s on October 3, Southern on October 4), and both plan to reopen in the spring, partner John Matthews said in a release. Despite the closures, all existing catering obligations will be honored.
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Both restaurants have the same ownership group (referred to as the “Pappy’s Smokehouse Family of Stores”), which includes Pappy’s Smokehouse in Midtown (which remains open for carryout, patio dining, and delivery through Postmates) and Dalie’s Smokehouse in Valley Park (open for dine-in, carryout, drive-through, patio seating, and delivery through Postmates). Pappy’s new location in St. Peters is slated to open in mid-October for dine-in, carryout, and patio seating.
Matthews says the winter is traditionally the restaurants’ slowest season and believes, based on year-to-date numbers and projections, that the company will be in a better financial position to reopen Bogart’s and Southern in the spring if the restaurants temporarily close for the fall and winter. “In order for us to come back strong when business picks back up,” he says, “we need to dial back the locations that are slow.”
Bogart’s will not be fully shuttered, however. Its ribs and pit beans will be available through Market Wagon St. Louis, a new service that delivers products to homes, businesses, or a central pickup site. Bogart’s will also be offering smoked turkeys and hams during the holiday season.
Staffers at Bogart’s and Southern have been offered the opportunity to move to one of the group’s other locations. “We’ll keep as many of them as we possibly can,” says Matthews, who remains optimistic about Pappy’s new location. “It’ll be all hands on deck out there,” he says. “I bet it’s crazy from the get-go.”
