Reeds American Table, 7322 Manchester Road in Maplewood, said on its Facebook page Wednesday that its last service will be July 3.
The announcement on Facebook:
It is with a heavy heart that I must write and announce our decision to close Reeds American Table. Our last service will be held this upcomng July 3rd. It was an extremely difficult decision to make but one that unfortunately had to happen. We have had an amazing 4+ years here in Maplewood. Looking back to the relationships we have built with people inside this community, to all the amazing people who have spent time working at Reeds we feel very lucky to have been able to do what we have over these past four years. It was not always easy but at no time were we not proud of how our team has persevered and the amazing product that has come out of that hard work.
From the customers whom have come since day one, that we all know by name by now, to the customers who we only got to meet once, we very much appreciate the support we have been given over the years that has served as a constant inspiration to what we do. It is what made us love coming into work. All of that will be missed but we look back with only happy memories and are so thankful to have them. We have all grown individually and as a team and look forward to continuing to serve the St. Louis dining scene in one of the many amazing places that this city has to offer. So, it is not good bye, just till next time, and we cannot thank you all enough for the opportunity we have had with this restaurant. Cheers.
See also: Feast reviews Reeds American Table, Reeds American Table to open Wednesday, Reeds American Table in Maplewood set to open in July: “simple things done very well”
I am still owed money for renovations on the Maya Cafe and the Old City Hall – Fire House. Maybe Maplewood, MO is have Bad Karma ?
Tom Thompson
I wanted to try it, but never knew when it was open. I would walk by and not know if they were opened or closed.
As Mr. Birenbaum said the restaurant business is absolutely brutal. The cost of ingredients and labor are constantly rising and number diners the with money to blow on the high end spots is a finite population. Every since these cooking shows have exploded on the scene more and more people have entered the restaurant market which is now overly saturated – especially Maplewood. If you can make it 4-5 years its a pretty good run.
Some quick and relevant background first: I have been active in Maplewood for 35 years. I own 12 commercial buildings in the downtown area (all in the core district, 7200-7300 blocks of Manchester), including where Reeds is located and I have a total of 7 restaurant tenants (plus 5 others that sell food products). I owned a specialty retail business for 25 years (the last 21 years in downtown Maplewood). I worked in restaurants as a teenager, I have played a lot in restaurants and bars as a musician and I know a number of restaurateurs (as friends, acquaintances and tenants, past and present). Plus, I follow what is going on in other shopping/restaurant areas of the city and county. So, I believe I have knowledge about Maplewood, St. Louis in general, the restaurant industry and independent retail.
I, too, am disappointed and hurt that Reeds is closing. They were important to Maplewood’s mosaic and represent the type of business I strive to see here, whether in one of my buildings or not. Matt Daughaday, chef/owner of Reeds, is uniquely skilled; he did things right and consistently put out a quality product. However, the closing of Reeds has nothing to do with Maplewood and is no different from what goes on regularly in neighborhoods across the country (if not the world). The restaurant industry is volatile and the only constant is change. Just follow Sauce, Riverfront Times, St. Louis Magazine, Feast or the Post-Dispatch and you will see the plethora of closings and openings every month throughout the metro area.
Simply put, and for many reasons, restaurants are the toughest retail business out there. Just one thing to consider is that the public can be fickle and they have a lot of options. In the case of Reeds, a number of similar casual, creative places have opened since they did and there are now more choices in that range (though I suspect that will change, too, over time). There is a limited demand for that category in St. Louis and there just aren’t enough people here to satisfy all of the places. Plus, the mid-range, super casual spots are what’s happening now, like Sugarfire, Mission Taco and many other single location operators.
Those of us who love Maplewood are sometimes too close to the ground and we see everything, warts and all. But, I can assure everyone that our commercial downtown district is the envy of and model for many small neighborhoods that are trying to get traction and is also respected by those that are more developed than us. What we have achieved in the past 20+ years is remarkable and it is because of the concerted effort of a diverse collection of people: business owners, property owners, city employees, elected officials, corporate citizens, residents, churches, school district employees and school board members. There is not a shortage of dedicated people from the aforementioned groups and new, young folks are getting involved. So, I am optimistic about our future because I know we will not take our eyes off the ball.
Consider reaching out to Jason Tilford, a former resident of Maplewood and (part?) owner of the former Milagro restaurant. He seems to have always wanted to get his foot back into Maplewood but has never had the right space. The current size may be too small for reopening of Milagro but there may be another concept he is looking to explore.
Rather his brother Adam. Jason is the chef.
So sad! I feel like the Maplewood restaurant scene is unstable – always great options but they’re never around for too long. Is it a landlord issue? Not enough customers issue? What’s the deal?
I agree. It’s a shame, as we have lost three of our favorite places in the last year or so. First was Water Street, then Muddled Pig, now Reeds. It’s got to be something related to increased rent and finding a place with more affordable rent. If that’s the case, this will hurt Maplewood in the long run. From what I have witnessed, each time I drove past Reeds it always had a good crowd.
Denise: I can assure you that the closing of Water Street and Reeds (both my tenants) had nothing to do with rent or landlord issues. And I suspect the same was true for the Muddled Pig (not my building). For more information on the Reeds closing and restaurant turnover, in general, please, see my post in this thread from 10:52 AM today.
Thanks for the information.
what a shame. Great place. Sad to see it go!