One of St. Louis’ most popular burger restaurants is expanding its reach with an additional location. Stacked STL, the Carondelet neighborhood restaurant with a loyal following for creatively topped thick burgers, is opening a second location in the Central West End. The new spot, which is slated to open next summer, will take over the former Pi Pizzeria space near the intersection of Euclid and McPherson avenues.
“We spent a lot of time looking for the right opportunity, and this one just felt like a good fit,” says Matt Windisch, who owns Stacked with his wife, Laura, and business partner Sam Siebenman. “There were a lot of reasons for choosing this location; one of them is that we wanted to be next to Session Taco and Mainlander and Ranoush. There’s the Up-Down arcade bar, [Jeni’s] the ice cream parlor, and Tikka Tangy is coming soon. You could stay on that corner and eat just about anything you’d want. It’s really cool, and it feels like a community.”
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The New Location
The forthcoming Stacked location will take over the former home of Pi Pizzeria, which operated in that storefront for more than a decade before shutting its doors this past July. The Windisches are adamant that the new spot is not intended to replace the current location in Carondelet; they are simply looking to grow the brand and reach new customers.
“Our lives are a lot different now than they were [when we opened Stacked] when we were 22,” says Matt. “While I think we would’ve been fine for a few more years to come with just that one location, we had to make a decision if we wanted to keep growing or stay stagnant. Stagnant probably means maybe we wouldn’t be able to do this too much longer, because the idea of one little neighborhood restaurant supporting two families is really hard now.”
After searching in earnest for about a year, the Windisches and Siebenman felt that the Central West End ticked all the right boxes. They see the bustling neighborhood as the sort of place where they can become part of a vibrant business community and are especially excited about its walkability. They also feel that the neighborhood has been missing a casual, full-service burger restaurant and are eager to appeal to the area’s families.
“It feels like a city within a city,” says Matt.
The Menu
The Windisches and Siebenman plan to offer the same Stacked menu that their fans have grown to love over the past 12 years: impeccably prepared, cooked-temperature burgers with a wide variety of toppings, delicious fries, wings, salads, and creative cocktails.
“The idea is to keep it consistent,” says Laura, who draws upon her culinary background to create Stacked’s menu. “There’s the saying ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.’ While we may have different specials here and there, we want to try to keep it consistent across the board.”
Matt adds that they might consider an enhanced bar menu at the Central West End location if the neighborhood asks for it. They also plan on offering different Burger of the Month specials at each location in the spirit of friendly competition.
“If we have the opportunity to do two Burgers of the Month, it could get fun,” says Matt. “As a kitchen manager, you do the same thing every day, so it’s fun to be able to get in different cheeses and toppings and make crazy sauces. It gives you the chance to be creative.”
The Backstory
In 2012, the Windisches were approached by the owners of their Carondelet neighborhood watering hole, Ivory Coast Bistro, to take it over; after securing a loan from Matt’s parents to cover the rent, they took the leap with plans to keep things running, business as usual. In 2013, however, they realized that they wanted to do more than run a bar and grill and decided to leverage Laura’s culinary background to create an exceptional, full-service burger restaurant. Over the years, Stacked has become one of St. Louis’ most beloved burger brands, known for its thick, cooked-to-temperature burgers creatively topped with everything from ghost pepper cheese to mango salsa to smoked brisket.
If you ask the Windisches the key to their success, however, they believe it goes far beyond what they serve between the buns. “Honestly, I think it’s something as simple as just caring and being present,” says Matt. “We try to be there every day—these days, that’s harder, but there were times in the past when all three of us were there every single day. I think showing your presence, really being there and putting out a product people can relate to but that they can’t necessarily get anywhere else, is what people like about us. Don’t get us wrong: We aren’t perfect. What we do is not an easy task, but we take pride in it and hope we deliver what people expect from us.”
