In mid-June, when owner Bob Candice announced on social media that his namesake restaurant, Candicci’s (100 Holloway), would be closing in late June, the news was not all bad: The post read, in part, “with much deliberation Candicci’s has made the decision to move forward with a new venture offering the same great Italian food you’ve come to know and love for catering only.”
The location was not announced at the time, only that it would remain “in the heart of Ballwin.” Earlier this month, Candicci’s Catering & Express (14870 Clayton) opened near the corner of Clayton and Baxter in the former Chirco’s Pizza space. The restaurant is open daily from 11a.m.–8 p.m. Here’s what to know before you go.
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The Concept
Candice says that due to recent changes in the restaurant landscape (lack of staffing, rent increases, and changes in dining habits, among others), Candicci’s business model needed to change as well. “Customers supported us during the pandemic with catering orders and picking up food from the restaurant, and we responded by offering enticements like family takeout deals,” he says. “When the dust settled, a lot of our customers didn’t immediately come back to dine in person, for fear of getting sick, which I understood, but they stayed away, which I wasn’t expecting. The to-go business stayed strong, but the dining room was no longer busy, so we knew we had to make some changes.”
The result: Candicci’s Catering and Express, an efficient, 1,000-square-foot storefront that focuses on offsite catering, though pickup and delivery of Candicci’s classic dishes are available as well.
Candice noted that even during the transition to the new space, catering orders continued to come in. “That part of the business never really stopped,” he says. “The phone kept ringing.” Customers now have the option of ordering from the catering menu (for groups of 10 or more) or a pared-down version of Candicci’s restaurant menu.
The former includes a wide variety of pastas, chicken dishes, and even a buffet option with additional offerings, such as roast beef, honey baked ham, and sliced pork loin with raspberry sauce. The latter features familiar appetizers (including eggplant Parmesan and two kinds of toasted ravioli), salads (in two sizes), half a dozen sandwiches, pizzas (St. Louis-style thin-crust or New York-style hand-tossed), 10 pastas, three chicken entrées, and a kid’s menu.
More than 20 menu items are named after employees and family members, the people “important to me and my business…my heart and soul,” the menu reads. Candice’s mother, catering manager, two best friends, and second grandchild, Quinster, are among those who garner a mention on the menu. Prices are also relatively reasonable, with the most expensive item priced at $21.99.
Candice is especially proud of his stellar reputation as a restaurant caterer for the past 40 years. “We work hard for the 4.8 rating that we’ve maintained over the years,” he says. The operation even delivers to clients more than two hours away. “We’ve always said, ‘No order is too big or too small.’ Maybe we should add, ‘Or too far away,”’ he quips.
The phone number for Candicci’s Catering and Express is 314-220-8989; the new catering number is 314-901-2280.
The Backstory
In 1980, Candice opened the first Candicci’s location in a tiny space at 7910 Bonhomme in Clayton (now Rearn Thai), where he quickly developed a reputation for reasonably priced Italian fare.
Fifteen years later, he moved the restaurant to a larger space at 12513 Olive in Creve Coeur, before moving to 100 Holloway Road in Ballwin in 2009.
“When I opened my first place at the age of 23, I never thought I’d still be at it 44 years later,” he says, “but here we are, and doing exactly what we should be doing.”
