Kate Munsch
Some restaurants boast large prints or a mural on the wall, Three Flags has an intriguing map, one with local significance.
When Three Flags Tavern opened in 2014, among many lauded restaurants in South City, owners John and Cathy O'Brien's goal was simple: to take good care of guests at the restaurant, named in honor of the historic three-country land swap held in St. Louis in the early 1800s. (SLM announced Three Flags' arrival here and here.)
And that's what Three Flags did for three years. The couple reluctantly announced the closure of the restaurant today. The last day of service was Sunday.
"We want to make sure all our guests know we very much appreciate them," John says. "What has sustained us through this dark time is a great group of customers. They've been extremely loyal, and I just want them to know they mean the world to us."
John cites low revenue as the reason for the closure. A Kingshighway bridge near Three Flags has also been closed for a sustained period of time, and that took a toll on the business.
"We couldn't keep it going," John says, adding, "You can't blame it all on the bridge, but the bridge is a pretty significant part of it. I think all the businesses around [us] are suffering to some extent because of the lack of traffic down Kingshighway."
John says every day at Three Flags became a great memory. At the restaurant, he aimed to make patrons "feel like it's an experience, even if that experience is just a burger and fried chicken. And I think people got that."
He expresses gratitude for his wife and his staff. "We have had the best staff I've ever worked with," he says, adding that the restaurant wasn't just about him. "It's about the host that greets people. It's about the bartender that makes the drink. It's about the server that takes care of the guests. It's about the cooks and the dishwashers."
Three Flags Tavern, John says, was an experience he's "proud to have been a part of."
Editor's note: Read Dining Editor George Mahe's reaction to the closure here.
