Kingside Diner, the chess-themed diner with locations in the Central West End and Clayton, has found itself a new game: Kingside Express, a concept that will focus on pickup and delivery. The restaurant is slated to open this June at 6170 Delmar, in the former Thai Café.
According to owner Aaron Teitelbaum, who also owns Herbie’s in Clayton, both Kingside Diner locations adapted well to the pandemic, especially the pickup and delivery components, an industry-wide phenomenon. “Like everybody else, I never saw that coming,” Teitelbaum says, “but as a result, we get so many requests in the CWE for pickup and delivery on weekends that we sometimes have to stop taking orders. That’s how much it’s caught on.”
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Teitelbaum’s response was to open the offshoot concept. The space along the Delmar Loop seats 20 people and 20 more on a street-side patio, though the focus will be on pickup and delivery. The restaurant will be open from 6 a.m.–3 p.m. daily.
“Express fills a demand that we’ve proven is there, and it can operate with fewer staff than a full-size restaurant, which is important,” he says. “It also allows us to do the normal Kingside model, which we love. The Express model allows us to serve other communities while expanding the brand. Location is important, but over the years, I’ve learned that the landlord and the terms are as well. Washington University owns the building, they reached out to me and made it work for both sides.”
Despite the relatively smaller footprint, Teitelbaum says the Express model is able to offer almost the same menu as the full-size Kingside Diner. Breakfast offerings include the standards, as well as skillets, breakfast burritos, flatbreads, quinoa pancakes, and specialties, such as the Damn Delicious (two scrambled eggs with bacon on a croissant, smothered with gravy, cheddar cheese, and chives) and the Johnny Cash (maple cashew butter, bacon, and banana wedged between two pieces of French toast). A Beyond Breakfast section includes burgers, salads, and sandwiches, such as the American Cuban (made with ham and a Nathan’s Famous hot dog). “The entire menu has been engineered to travel,” according to Teitelbaum.
Teitelbaum says that project operations are being spearheaded by culinary director Eric Prophete and by food and beverage director DJ Holmes, the managerial kingpins he credits with making Kingside the success story it has become.
Kingside Diner first opened in 2015 in the former Lester’s Sports Bar & Grill space (4651 Maryland) across from the World Chess Hall of Fame. It found a sweet spot by focusing on breakfast and lunch. The Clayton location (8025 Bonhomme) followed in 2018 and eventually followed the same model.
Then, in October 2020, mid-pandemic, Teitelbaum announced that the CWE flagship would be moving (albeit a very short distance) to the busy corner at Maryland and Euclid, in the former Gamlin Whiskey House space. The move would allow for “greater visibility, more socially distanced seating, and additional private event space,” he said at the time. “We were running hour-long waits three days a week. We just needed more space.”
Relocating seems to have paid off. “The minute we opened the doors, we were busy and we’ve stayed busy,” he says now, referencing waiting lines and myriad online orders.
Hinting at future expansion plans, Teitelbaum established a limited liability corporation designed to open restaurants that will encourage and streamline profit sharing with his management team. “At this point in my career,” he says, “it needs to be more about them than me.”
