Danni Eickenhorst expands Steve’s Hot Dogs and The Fountain on Locust to Delmar and beyond

If you would have told Danni Eickenhorst five years ago that she’d be one of St. Louis’ most prominent restaurateurs—with two beloved brands, five locations, and two more on the way—she would have laughed. A nonprofit expert and communications pro by trade, Eickenhorst was already thriving in her career when she added restaurateur to her resume by acquiring The Fountain on Locust and Steve’s Hot Dogs. Now, she realizes that her work in the hospitality business isn’t all that different from her work in other sectors: focusing on people and community are as much drivers for her restaurant group, HuSTL Hospitality, as turning out delicious food. “I am grateful that I have good enough sense to not fight where the universe is trying to take me sometimes,” Eickenhorst says. “Sometimes, signs point in a direction, and you just have to surrender to that, go with it, and great things could happen. My husband and I will come home after a night at Steve’s, look at each other, and say, ‘Man, our life is fun. How lucky are we?’ I don’t know if I could be doing anything else.” 

Years ago, you started down a much different professional path than the restaurant industry.

Back in the day, I was one of the first people in St. Louis using social media in the way it is used today. At the time, I worked for the Salvation Army as their head of communications, and within six days of working there, I was deployed to Joplin to respond to that [tornado] disaster. I did what came natural to me: leaned into social media and began coordinating aid for those who needed it. I was sent down there to tell the story of what the Salvation Army was doing and coordinate media, and literally my first communications job out of freelancing, I was dealing with Anderson Cooper and Diane Sawyer. It was really crazy, but needless to say, I didn’t feel comfortable asking people for their stories on what felt like the worst day of their lives. I knew I had a job to do, but I also found a way to help them. It got attention and attracted donations. We raised millions, and social media was the backbone. I became known as a social media expert and eventually opened my own agency with the goal of helping small businesses, nonprofits, and startups, because I really have a heart for entrepreneurs. I know how hard it is, and I want to help them figure out how to do better.

And that’s what led you to Steve’s Hot Dogs?

Steve [Ewing] was one of my clients. I’d been a fan [of The Urge] since high school and got to know him on a project-based relationship, and we became very good friends. When he came to the decision to shut down Steve’s because he couldn’t do music and the restaurant any longer, he asked me to help him do press to let everyone know. That’s what started this journey.

You just couldn’t let him close it, right?

I told him, “Let’s take a look at the business and see if we can save it here.” It felt like a shame to waste such an institution. I decided to do what I do and hope that the community would react and show him it was worth saving. We had a large media and public response, so he started to rethink closing and asked us to help.

The timing on that wasn’t great, though, was it?

Yes, we teamed up and reopened on March 1, 2020 [at the beginning of the pandemic]. That’s why our hospitality group is called HuSTL—we started so extremely scrappy. Nothing was working in our favor, not even the entire universe, but we pivoted, moved, changed things, and, honestly, that COVID period gave us the grace to do that sort of experimentation within the business until we found what worked.

How did you get involved with The Fountain on Locust?

As we started to get success with Steve’s, Joy [Grdnic] approached us. She said she saw that we are as community-oriented as she is and that we have done really well for Steve’s, so she’d like us to be her successor. It was overwhelming in so many ways. This is our favorite place, so I wondered: Who am I to step into that? It also meant a big professional change. Steve’s was always a side thing to help a friend. At the time, I was still the chief operating officer for Keller Williams, and my husband was with another company. We knew if we did it, we would have to change our entire lives.

You had no restaurant background before Steve’s, but you’ve been successful in creating something special with both brands. What is behind that?

I know what my talents are, but I also know how to pull amazing people into my world and lean into them. I have an idea and course of action, but they come along with me and contribute and bring their gifts. It works really well. People always say, “Wait, you are not a chef.” No, but that’s OK. I have great people who are. That’s how we operate: pulling in good people, putting them in a position of their strengths, and allowing us to all grow together.

And now you are pulling in a lot of good people to help you with the Delmar Maker District projects. Can you talk about what all you have going on there? 

The developer is trying to pull together the right businesses for the neighborhood to create what they wanted, and people kept saying that they wanted something like Steve’s. He said, “Well, how about Steve’s? I know the owner.” He called and told me he had something he wanted me to look at; immediately, I thought, Yes, this makes sense. We love the vision behind the neighborhood; it’s on brand for what we are trying to do, which is trying to do good in the community, and this is going to be so impactful bringing together both sides of Delmar. What really sold us was when we saw how much the neighborhood was behind it. That’s what matters: Do you want us to come? If you see the value and would come hang out, see us and enjoy this family space that is for everyone, then we want to be a part of it. It was a really positive response.

You plan to open both a Steve’s and The Fountain on Delmar in the Delmar Maker District. Can you tell us about them?

Part of what attracted us to this project was, in moving Steve’s from Tower Grove East to South Grand [in 2021], it changed the business. We thought it was the best move possible, because we had a line out the door and wanted a place for people to sit. It was great, but it also pushed the kitchen to the back and away from people. Part of what everyone loved at the original Steve’s was watching their food get made. We thought that if we could ever design the perfect Steve’s, it would have to be something where people can watch us creating the food and converse with us while that’s happening. As for the menu, we’re developing a Delmar Dog; both locations will have specific dishes like that, but it will also have Steve’s greatest hits. It’s an efficient version of the menu with a few things just for that location.

And for The Fountain on Delmar?

At The Fountain on Locust, the show takes place at the bar. People love watching their ice cream and ice cream martinis being made. It’s over-the-top, with the crowd gathered around the counter space. At Delmar, that will be the centerpiece. Another thing we are excited about is our baked goods. One of our staff members helped us come up with a small menu of baked goods inspired by baking in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, like a Cracker Jack snickerdoodle cookie, pineapple upside-down cake muffins, and banana bread. There is a morning component to the restaurant, too. We will have a coffee program in the morning—we’re working on a partnership with Kaldi’s—to go with our baked goods and will transition into ice cream and cocktails for the rest of the day.

And you plan to expand your grilled-cheese ghost kitchen concept to a dedicated space on March 11?

Yes, we are aiming to open Steve’s Meltdown’s first brick-and-mortar in City Foundry before the other two openings. [City Foundry is] always looking for something different, and we are going to be a really great kid-friendly option for them. We’re going to lean into the cheese aspect of the menu—think comforting grilled cheese and tomato soup. We think it’s going to be a perfect partnership.

You also have the three stadium locations of Steve’s, at CITYPARK, the Enterprise Center, and The Dome at America’s Place. Do you ever feel like slowing down?

This is the craziest time of our lives, and it’s truly beautiful and challenging in every way possible. In addition to the restaurants, we are involved with neighborhood associations, boards, arts and culture initiatives… I’m on the National Small Business Association board. I probably give at least a day a week to all of this, and if I didn’t, I’d be miserable. There’s so much I’ve wanted to do in my life, but I’ve come to a place where I understand that being an entrepreneur has so much power because you can directly influence the lives of everyone who works for you, and you have a voice that is heard by government officials. We have impact because we provide job opportunities for people who want to make hospitality a career, and we go into neighborhoods and make them better because we are there. This combines every talent and skill I have. I get to have these amazing people in my life. And we are able to build a culture that is attracting people to us. I’m grateful we are here. Everything is coming together, and it feels like it was absolutely meant to be.