Photo credit Kevin A. Roberts
Sometime last year, the fast-casual restaurant trend in St. Louis officially became a movement. Now, Olive + Oak—the best new restaurant of 2016 on many critic’s lists (including ours)—is planning to take the fast-casual plunge.
The as-yet-unnamed restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the former Webster Groves Bookshop space, located immediately east of Olive + Oak on Lockwood Avenue in Old Webster. If all goes according to plan, the new restaurant will open its doors in early summer.
Co-owner Mark Hinkle said the 2,500-square-foot space became available earlier this year; although there were plans to do more restaurant concepts in the future, he didn’t think the future "would get here so quickly.
“That bookstore had been there for 51 years,” Hinkle told SLM. “It’s directly next door and on a prime corner. If we passed on it now, it could be another half-century before it was available again."
The space will serve a dual purpose, providing Olive + Oak with a much-needed private room (seating 10 to 15), as well as expanding the brand to different meal periods. Hinkle envisions a space that is “simple yet sophisticated, a place for all occasions,” equally suited for a quick morning coffee, brunch with friends, or a family dinner.
The morning menu will include pastries and more substantial breakfast items. The lunch fare will span “salads, soups, and sandwiches—but that doesn’t do it justice,” Hinkle says, adding that executive chef Jesse Mendica is planning fresh, interesting takes on familiar dishes, “definitely not run-of-the-mill items." The approach will employ the same classics-with-a-twist philosophy that so quickly put Olive + Oak on the map. Dinner will be decidedly more casual than Olive + Oak, a combination of quick service dine-in, carryout, and family dinners to-go.
“We want this to be a place where you can take your kids—or take home a meal to your kids—and not spend a fortune doing it,” Hinkle says.
Spearheaded by Jenn Hinkle and Becky Ortyl, the wives of the principal owners, the interior design will be reflective of Olive + Oak, albeit more casual. But the level of hospitality will be on par with the flagship, says Mark. “And don’t be surprised to discover a few more hearts,” he said.
Photo credit Rick Forrestal
The concept is just the latest in a string of fast-casual additions to the local dining scene. Over the past year, a half-dozen pizza chains have emerged or expanded, as well as a Mexican spinoff (Mayana Mexican Kitchen), an excellent under-the-radar spot in West County (Local Chef STL), a test kitchen (Shift, Test Kitchen & Take Out), more taco joints (Kalbi Taco Shack, Fort Taco, Club Taco), a chef-inspired salad concept (Wicked Greenz), a chef-inspired breakfast joint (Yolklore), a long-awaited brick-and-mortar (Kounter Kulture), and Gerard Craft’s first foray in the genre (Porano Pasta).
