The Shack opens in O'Fallon, Missouri, this Saturday

Fifty percent of profits from opening day will be donated to Backstoppers, the local charity that supports the families of fallen police and firefighters.

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The Shack, the popular breakfast-and-lunch concept from OG Hospitality Group, could have been called simply “Fun,” as that's the simply named restaurant's mantra.

Co-owners Brant Baldanza and Jon Fogarty had fun when creating the dish names (Starchy & Cluck, Do It Yourself, Meg Ryan) and when designing the restaurants, right down to the diner-style coffee mugs, all with whimsical sayings. Reclaimed chandeliers (once a random addition to a Shack office, “just to make it silly and different”) are part of the concept design.

And then there’s the restroom doors…

“We just wanted to make people smile," says Baldanza. "Start with that, especially in the morning, and you’re halfway to success."

OG Hospitality Group also owns the two Corner Pub & Grill locations and two Tavern Kitchen & Bar locations. The duo believes The Shack has the most universal appeal and put it on the fast track for growth, expanding from four to nine units in 2018. (O’Fallon is the fifth location.)

The Shack's new O’Fallon location (2931 Highway K) in Deer Creek Crossing is the first “white box” design, so “there’s no unneeded space and no bars or bathrooms in the wrong space,” Baldanza says. “It’s a luxury in this business to be able to place everything exactly where it should be.”

The interior design incorporates corrugated tin sheets, “new-old” wood, bouncy graphics, and doors and windows salvaged from old houses and barns. 

The waiting area and bar are spacious and incorporate more fun elements: the can’t-miss-it galvanized logo, a version of the famous leg-shaped lamp from A Christmas Story, and former gas cylinder tops used as pendant lights.

The wood throughout the space is a descendant of the now-ubiquitous reclaimed barnwood. Its price has skyrocketed due to demand. “At the first Shack, we paid $3 per square foot, $10 at the second, and it’s more than that today,” Baldanza says. “So now we’re making our own.” They used distressed and painted 1-by-12-foot planks of yellow pine to replicate barnwood's weathered look.

“The wood gets written on anyway,” Baldanza says, referring to the policy of letting guests sign (“stamp,” in Shack parlance) the walls and booths. “The day we open has traditionally been my most and least favorite day, knowing that within a few weeks, all that new barnwood will get Sharpie-fied. Using new wood lessens some of that sting.”

There are 220 seats and all of the booths seat six, pushing the capacity to 300 if all booths are fully occupied—“which they’ll never be, but it would be nice,” quips Baldanza.

On the large wraparound soffit is a colorful blend of apropos graphics and Shack sayings, an on-the-fly field adjustment. “Next to the bathroom doors," Baldanza says, "it’s my favorite part of the design.”

The general manager is the perpetually smiling Josh Shelton (nicknamed “Sunshine”), a five-year company veteran, assisted by Mike Stall and Katie Walker. But instead of district managers or regional managers, the company’s moniker for that group is “doctor,” for directors of concept, three people whose job it is to “fix things, troubleshoot, make things better, improve the concept” says Baldanza. “Their job is to assist unit management. They’re part of every opening crew.”

All of The Shack's locations are open for breakfast and lunch (with only the breakfast menu served on Sundays) and available for private events in the evenings. (A few private parties per month equals the revenue earned at dinner and easily compensates for the many slow nights in a month, says Baldanza.)

The O'Fallon location's menu, which includes a gluten-free section, is the same as at other locations. (Some of the newer items are photographed below.)

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Iguana Huevo Ranchero - 2 fried corn tortillas, refried beans, housemade chorizo, queso blanco, pico de gallo, sriracha drizzle, 2 eggs your way

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Brussels 'n Egg skillet - egg whites, onions, green & red peppers, chicken sausage, roasted Brussels sprouts topped w/ shredded parmesan

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

Junk in 'da Trunk - beanless chili, onion, Shack cheese, with a sausage biscuit and green onion on top

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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts

At lunch, the ratio is 95/5 in favor of breakfast items. “We were almost tempted to write for the lunch menu 'See breakfast,' with a big arrow pointing back up to those items,” Fogarty jokes. “Things like the Cease & Desist burger and the ShackBurger were really good, but no one ordered them. Breakfast food is what the customer was looking for, so that’s what we do. It’s our bread and butter.”

Kidding aside, The Shack’s lunch menu is small but solid: The biggest sellers are the Wicked Good Turkey sandwich on a warm pretzel bun, the tilapia tacos (Ta-Ta Tacos), and the I Had A Salad For Lunch.

In the back of the restaurant, light from the kitchen emanates through frosted glass. Guests see and hear muffled activity, but they aren’t blinded by the overpowering fluorescent light. Another thoughtful design touch resulting from experience: 100 acoustical panels ($10,000 worth) hidden within the steel ceiling trusses.

As Baldanza (pictured below) walks through the restaurant, he occasionally stops, claps twice, and smiles. “See, the sound disappears,” he says. “No echoes.”

The Shack - O'Fallon

2931 Highway K, St Louis, Missouri 63368

636-385-6388

Visit Website

Breakfast: 7 days, 6:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Lunch: Mon - Sat, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sunday: Breakfast only, 6:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Inexpensive

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