Mark Winfield announced on Facebook this morning that his namesake restaurant, Winfield’s Gathering Place, located at 10312 Manchester in Kirkwood, would close on July 2 after an 18 month run.
His partner in the venture was former St. Louis Cardinal and current baseball announcer Jim Edmonds. The partnership began in 2007 at the multi-story, multi-venue Fifteen (Edmonds’ jersey number as a Cardinal) at 1900 Locust Street in Downtown West. Fifteen transitioned into Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse, and then to the The Precinct Sports Bar & Grill and the banquet area as Jim Edmond's Space 15, both which closed in May of last year.
When the duo opened Winfield’s in early 2015, Winfield (right) described it as “busy as hell,” a factor that played into the decision to close The Precinct. “When one restaurant does in an hour what the other does all day, on a Friday, the reality hits you pretty quickly,” Winfield said at the time.
Then the restaurant experienced a few unexpected turns. The Wood Cask opened in the same center as Winfield’s few months later (which always has an impact), but in this author’s mind, it was an unnecessarily harsh and one-sided article in the St. Louis Business Journal that inflicted the most damage. The Jan 12, 2016 article correctly stated that Mark Winfield had filed for personal bankruptcy but never mentioned whether Winfield’s Gathering Place would remain in business or not. At the time, SLM fielded numerous inquiries regarding the status of the business, which would remain open. At the time, gift cards were apparently redeemed in droves, which spoke volumes. Business plummeted. It is likely that Winfield’s never recovered from the blowback of that article.
There are rumors that another ownership group is in the wings, but in the meantime, customers old and new have a few more days to check out Winfield’s award-winning BBQ ribs, lobster wontons, a wined-and-brined-and-smoked half-chicken, and the #1 selling sandwich, a burnt ends sourdough melt.
Winfield ended the Facebook post with the following: “Thank you again for your business and if you would like any other details about the close please contact me directly (314) 920-1168.”
