When 77-year-old Kirkwood landmark Spencer’s Grill closed and was offered for sale in late June, we knew that the storied institution would not be available for long. Sure enough, five weeks later, the restaurant changed hands.
Michael and Meredith Shadwick, the owners of Kirkwood-based Honey Bee’s Biscuits + Good Eats and Tropical Moose Shaved Ice, along with Kirkwood resident Michael Kleckner, took possession of the business earlier this month and plan to reopen it on November 1.
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After the transfer, the biggest concern for Spencer’s devotees became how much the business might change, which was the main topic of discussion when SLM visited with the trio last week.
The Partners
Many Kirkwood residents are already familiar with the Shadwicks’ businesses. Their partner, Kleckner, is a political advisor and entrepreneur who’s also a passionate historian and has self-published two books on St. Louis history, Mike’s Unforgettable St. Louis History and a version for kids.
“My father-in-law, an architect, used to work upstairs, knew all of the previous owners well, and ate breakfast there every day,” he says. “My now-wife and I went to Spencer’s once a week on day dates. We even had some wedding photos taken right out in front. Now we go with our three kids.” So when he found out that the landmark restaurant was closing, the 11-year-Kirkwood resident felt compelled to do something about it.
He contacted the business broker and was introduced to the Shadwicks, who had also expressed interest in buying Spencer’s Grill. “With no experience in the business, my interest was simply as an investor; their interest was operating the business,” says Kleckner, who knew Meredith’s parents through politics, with Meredith’s father, Michael Gibbons, having served as a state senator and her mother, Liz Gibbons, being mayor of Kirkwood. “The dots got connected, and the deal came together.”
The trio formed an LLC, MMM Good Classics (from their given names’ initials), for Spencer’s Grill. On a broader scale, the Shadwicks also founded Hive Mind Hospitality Group, where the focus is consulting with or taking over classic restaurants, as well as managing locations for silent owners and investors. “Our hope is to own or operate a handful of existing local Diners, Drive-ins & Dives–type places,” Michael Shadwick says, “not necessarily to introduce new concepts.”
Kleckner, who’s now a 10 percent owner in the business, is excited to partner with the Shadwicks, whom he feels have “super-high standards and an established restaurant reputation in Kirkwood.” They also have a proper vision for the future of the restaurant, he says, from bringing back traditional diner uniforms to converting the unused marketplace next door into an old-school soda fountain.
“I’m not sure I could find better partners for this kind of project in Kirkwood… All three of us wanted to bring back to Kirkwood a business that was important to Kirkwood,” says Kleckner, who recognizes that three generations have created memories there over the diner’s 77-year history. “I’m just happy we were chosen to continue the legacy.”
The Menu & Atmosphere
“The three of us understand that change can be good,” Kleckner says, “but too much change can be bad.” The sentiment will serve as a mantra at Spencer’s Grill.
The atmosphere will remain largely the same, except with a fresh coat of paint. “That’s about all that’s needed,” says Shadwick. “The exterior was painted a dark gray during the pandemic, and we’re hoping to paint it white again. And the iconic neon clock will get repaired.”
Likewise, the numbered specials will largely remain the same, but there will be some noteworthy improvements. The signature crispy-edged pancakes “are going nowhere,” for example, and the hash browns (what Shadwick describes as a “crispy-edged hash brown roastie”) may not require any tweaking.
At the same time, there will be some enhancements and additions. Max Bredenkoetter, former sous chef at Mainlander, was brought on to add fine-dining techniques and execute menu adjustments. Bredenkoetter, who also helps oversee Honeybee’s, is excited to be part of the project. “We have a great team going at Honeybee’s, and it’s been a fun environment to join and lead,” he says. “With Spencer’s, it will be great to be part of continuing the legacy of a Kirkwood landmark, maintaining what made it great while bringing other options to the community.”
One of the items in development is a “caramelized onion and cheese, STL-style, loaded hash brown.” The egg for a new item, Biscuit Benedict (with house-made scrapple atop a toasted biscuit), will be cooked sous vide-style for consistency and speed. Bredenkoetter’s recipe for a super silky hollandaise sauce involves a bit of molecular gastronomy. The square biscuits will be smaller versions of Honey Bee’s tried-and-tested recipe. Michael Shadwick’s popular sausage gravy will also appear on the menu.
Another new item is a hash made with braunschweiger, corned beef, shallots, spicy brown mustard, beef stock reduction, and a hot honey drizzle. “The deep flavor from the braunschweiger hides in the background but will enhance the flavor of the corned beef,” says Shadwick. “Look for Max and myself to use the flavor from less expensive items, like braunschweiger, to elevate certain dishes.”
Bredenkoetter also plans to introduce a special burger: the Juicy Lucy, a Twin Cities’ style of burger, with two 3-ounce burger patties stuffed with American cheese and served on a toasted bun with caramelized onions. “We decided to zero in on the Juicy Lucy, because it does not currently exist in St. Louis,” Shadwick says.
“More ingredient-focused intention will be given to each standard menu item as well,” adds Shadwick. For example, the plan is to take an elevated approach to the popular No. 3: two eggs, a choice of meat, hash browns, and toast. The bacon may come from Wenneman Meat Co., and the eggs might be sourced from a smaller producer. “Spencer’s can do that because of the buying power of Honey Bee’s, which tends to order the same few items in bulk.”
To further streamline the process, the new menu will contain fewer items. “There are slow movers and several lunch items that can be taken off,” Shadwick says. “The new menu will focus on all the all-star performers, things like eggs, pancakes, biscuits, hash browns, breakfast meats, slingers, hashes, and country fried steak. Between the economies of scale, micro-ordering, and utilizing the commissary and our scratch-making skills, we feel confident that Spencer’s will be better than it has ever been at prices that have not changed.”
