Courtesy of Timothy's
Steven Manns, owner of Timothy's (12710 Olive) restaurant in Creve Coeur, thought he'd begin the new year with a novel labor construct: to lure new kitchen staffers by offering a three-day work week, with the restaurant maintaining its existing six nights per week schedule.
“It's basically three doubles—totaling up to 40 hours—and then off for four days,” he says. It gives staffers "the option of taking that time off to spend with family, pick up a part-time job, volunteer, whatever... I used to work similar shifts as a paramedic—what we called a 14 [hours]-12-12—which gave me the rest of the week to do whatever I wanted.
“This kind of schedule offers tremendous freedom,” he adds. “I think it’s something that just might resonate. I remember reading about a Chick-fil-A store that offered it and had something like 500 applications the first day.”
Last summer, Lucia’s Pizza, which was then looking to hire 30 employees, tried a similar program. At the time, SLM wrote, “The creative maneuver allows the company to do three things: satisfy increasing pizza demand, give workers more quality time with their families (especially since the three days need not be served consecutively), and eliminate the need for an (unpopular) second shift.” Last week, Lucia's Pizza rep Scott Ashby reported that “a ton of people applied” and the program was a success, with some employees wanting to work a fourth and fifth day. “Scheduling around holidays was the only real challenge,” he says, “so we had to build in some flexibility by making the schedule semi-permanent.”
At Timothy's, Manns says the hourly rate for cooks is dependent on experience and that interested parties can contact him at smanns437@gmail.com or at the restaurant, 314-786-5301. “My goal is to create a workspace where everyone is happy and has a workable schedule,” he says. “I’m very curious to see how this can and will play out.”
Photo by George Mahe
Timothy’s Timeline
In August 2021, Manns (an alum of Savor and Polite Society, as well as longtime captain at Herbie’s), along with minority partners Shawn Olson and Tim Metz (after whom the restaurant was named), opened Timothy’s in the former Olive Street Café space in Creve Coeur. (Metz and Olson also owned Pickle’s Deli, with two locations in metro St. Louis.)
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Lobster claw meat pot pie, the most popular item on Timothy's menu
Timothy’s quickly received critical and popular praise for its reasonable price points ($37 for a grilled rack of lamb, $29 for steak frites) and “fine-casual” approach to dining. SLM's Dave Lowry lauded Timothy's burger as "terrific, fat and juicy, piled high with fried onions, pimento cheese, and mortared with a Dijon mayo combination called kasundi," the same burger that's half price during happy hour (Mon-Sat, 4 to 6 p.m.).
In spring 2022, Metz and Olson sold Pickle’s Deli to its long term director of catering. In the summer, Manns became Timothy's sole owner, buying out Metz and Olsen, who subsequently retired and moved to Mexico in the fall.
“I like to boast that Timothy’s is open every day but major holidays,” Manns says. “So if the weather’s cold or super windy or snowy, chances are we’ll be open since many other places aren’t. A lot of people don't mind braving the elements—some of our busiest days have been snow days."
Diners of a certain age will recognize veteran restaurateur Sean Gallagher (Balaban’s, Herbie’s), who’s been the front-of-house host for the past eight months. "He's so comfortable and chatty, people think that he's the owner—that he's Timothy," Manns says.
Future Plans
Manns' wife, Amanda (another industry veteran), plans to help launch lunch service, with a target date of March 1. “Timothy’s lunch service will be geared to what Pickle’s Deli did best, which was always the plan,” Manns says. “Really good salads and sandwiches, with clear and distinct differences,” all created by executive chef Will Mabrey (former kitchen manager at Yolklore and sous chef at Herbie’s), who has been at Timothy’s since Day 1. “A sandwich that sticks in my mind is one that Jamey Tochtrop served at Stellina Pasta [Café], a sandwich made with shaved ham, bacon, white cheddar, sliced Granny Smith apples, and sweet hot mustard served on grilled peasant bread. I’ve charged Will with creating sandwiches similar to that, items that can also travel well to surrounding businesses and hospitals."
Courtesy of Timothy's
Instead of using the fast-casual model, lunch at Timothy’s will be full table service. "Personally, I just like that experience," he says, "but the reality is that the majority of our lunch business will likely be from takeout and catering."
Dinners at Timothy’s, which are served every night but Sunday, are “solid as can be,” Manns reports. “I thought it might hurt the business to change the name, so I kept it as is,” he says. “Plus, to me, Steven’s sounds like some beer-and-wings joint.”
Editor's note: This article has been updated from its original version.
