Courtesy Ashley Fischer Photography
The Caramel Room
This year is already shaping up to be a good one for St. Louis catering company Butler’s Pantry. Two of its new venues are slated to open this year: 18Rails at City Foundry STL in Midtown and The Reverie at The District in Chesterfield. And late last month, the company took over the family of brands owned by 23 City Blocks Hospitality Group, including The Caramel Room, 23 City Blocks Catering, and Lumen.
The Reverie in Chesterfield
Butler’s Pantry owner Richard Nix, Jr. says he’s been looking to expand for some time. “There are so few event venues in West County,” he says. “A lot of our customers already live out that way, so we wanted to provide an event and meeting space that meets the demands of the area.”
Slated to open at The District in early July, The Reverie will complement the handful of locally owned restaurants that are signing on at the Chesterfield development, part of which includes an open-air restaurant complex of sorts. “The whole project is unique to the area,” Nix adds. That includes the venue's name, The Reverie, a moniker that connotes a daydream, so “anything we or the client wants to dream up is possible.”
The 15,000-square-foot space provides guests with a variety of options, including a dedicated pre-function foyer for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, breakout rooms, a bridal suite, a garden area, and a main dining/meeting room that seats up to 400. Sliding and pivoting floor-to-ceiling doors lead from one room to another. “The space is more contemporary and sleek than any of the other venues in town, our own included,” Nix says.
Courtesy Butler's Pantry
18Rails rendering
18Rails at City Foundry STL
At City Foundry STL in Midtown, 18Rails is slated to open in June. Located near the Food Hall, the new venue (named for its location at the 18 railroad lines that once served the area) seats 300 (or 700 standing) in a versatile urban/industrial space with abundant natural light.
Nix expects to engage a crowd that includes “tech, tattoos, and Teslas,” where City Foundry STL can be tapped “to keep the party rolling.”
Courtesy Ashley Fischer Photography
The Caramel Room rooftop
The Caramel Room & 23 City Blocks
Photo by Butler’s Pantry
Butler’s Pantry’s newest acquisition, The Caramel Room, is nothing short of spectacular. In addition to a 325-seat ballroom, the venue boasts a rooftop with a singular view of the Arch and the Mississippi River. “More than $300 million was spent on renovating the Arch grounds, and circumstances like [the pandemic] prevented it from serving the community," says Nix. "We need to connect our city back to the river.”
The Caramel Room was part of 23 City Blocks, which was owned by Kate Turner and Tim Fogerty. Butler’s Pantry was able to retain a good number of the employees, Nix says. Executive chef Nick Miller, who takes on the same duties at Butler’s Pantry, "will have the support from our other chefs like Chad Vanderleest and Callaghan Carter, creating a true “culinary all-star team.”'
Catering in the Age of the Pandemic
Butler’s Pantry had changed its business model prior to the pandemic, having divested itself of Bixby’s at the Missouri History Museum and Piccione Pastry in the Delmar Loop. “We wanted to focus on the more profitable venue business, which is one of the reasons we went ahead with 18 Rails and The Reverie,” he says. “Part of the reason we were able to survive was because of our dedicated venues. I’d say 99 percent of the brides we had booked have rebooked with some sort of celebration or other—at The Coronado, The Palladium… They were our lifeline, in addition to the PPP [Payback Protection Program] money we received.
“Corporate business was strong, until the Delta variant put everyone on pause,” he adds. “Two segments that haven’t returned are corporate entertaining and office meetings. That will be a big portion of our profit and sales moving forward, as I think—I hope—that we have turned a corner.”
