urbanSTL

i hope thats false

I love the place but their current location doesn't give them adequate exposure.



It's very hard to find if you are driving by and it's "far" from the heavy foot traffic. Maybe they should open up next to Copia or wherever that Baseline shop used to be.



location, location, location

Downtown2007 wrote:Dave, can you offer any insight?

No, I don't know my source directly so I can't really disclose.

I would be sooooooooo bummed if it closed! We try to go there occasionally for dinner or just drinks because we want it to stay in business so badly. I think a lot of people just don't know about it. It's never very busy when we are there....although it's kind of hard to tell because they do such a great job of making the booths very private. I think they really just need to advertise and get people aware that they are there. I think most people still run to the melting pot when they want fondue...but we like the atmosphere and food/drinks here so much better!

Not a good sign that Dave (sf-stl) hasn't given us a status report.

Maybe a forum meet-up/happy hour is in order as a show of support. I'd hate to lose this place.

I agree-- that could be fun! Thursdays have the 2-for-1 martinis so that is our favorite night to go....not sure what drink specials they have other nights.

DeBaliviere wrote:Maybe a forum meet-up/happy hour is in order as a show of support. I'd hate to lose this place.

I agree on both accounts.



The Mrs. and I have had some of our best "dates" at Simply Fondue. We can't afford to dine there frequently, but we've been several times, and it's always among the places at the top of our list whenever we think about going out. I'm a little concerned about SF as well given (1) the rotten economy, (2) the relative lack of exposure at that location, and (3) the absence of SF spokespeople on our forum.



So, fellow SF fans, what do you think about DeBaliviere's idea to show some support?

Framer wrote:Not a good sign that Dave (sf-stl) hasn't given us a status report.

Or they just haven't visited the forum in a while.

Hi, I was driving down washington yesterday and noticed a sign taped to the door at SF...so drove by to see what that was about. I initially about went into immediate depression cause the sign said Sorry for any incovenience, but they are closed....then goes on to say it is only temporary cause they have some electrical issue. This morning I got the July email newsletter from them, so think they will hopefully still be in business for a while! If we want to do a hh there sometime, I've copied below the specials from the newsletter--



Enjoy our Complimentary Happy Hour Appetizers Monday

thru Friday from 5 - 8 in the bar. Items may include coconut thai

shrimp, pork and vegetable pot stickers, lobster rangoon, chicken

satay with spicy peanut sauce, assorted cheese and fruit board, our

house made hummus and the ever popular chocolate fondue! All martinis

are only $5 and $1 off bottle beer and other drinks.

Hopefully the electrical issue isn't that Ameren turned off their power because they couldn't pay the bills.



Man, I really like this place and hope it survives. IMO, they need to move further east on Wash Ave to get more exposure to foot and car traffic.

They are open tonight. Yippee. Everyone should go there in the next few weeks and keep the place going. You dont have to get a full meal. Just go for happy hour for a few beers and the cheese fondue. Its not very expensive.

It's only 11AM and my mouth is already watering for one of their chocolate martinis...Hope I can hold out until 5:00.

I have been watching the posting on SF for sometime and like most places they start off with a bang, but the real test of sucess in the restaurant business is do you have staying power. Having been in the business, no matter how great the concept and how wonderful the owner is, if the location sucks, eventually you are doomed to failure. Espescially when the economy gets a little sourer. I had doubts about their future when they opened because of the location, but they seemed to be doing well and getting a fair amount of press so I thought maybe I might be wrong. When the honeymoon is over, that is when when you see if a business is really going to make it. The owner of SF has to be going through a period of trial, pain and tribulation right now, but all to often the writing is on the wall. Been there. This seems to be a great place, with a great concept and a great menu but needs to be in a location that is not so isolated. Isolation works in New York where you can open a place with only a door and no sign and people flock to you, but the reality is this is St. Louis, and what works in New York does not work in St. Louis. I am sure the owner reads this blog and my heart goes out to you when you work so hard to do something right, but struggle to succeed. My suggestion is cut your loses while you can and find a new location. Sorry to be so gloom. There is a great location at the Lammert builiding and the realtor and owner seem to be ready to deal. Mosaic moved just one block and the word is they double their sales. Like I said, location is one of the most important keys to success. To succeed in this business you got to be located with everyone else and out in front where everyone else sees you. Think about all the great places in St. Lous that eventually closed just because of the location. I could give you the list, but it is quite lengthy and they all got great reviews and play in the beginning.

A report on my forum by someone who had weekend reservations says that Simply Fondue has closed.

That is not good news.



I hope they give it another run in a more visible location down Wash Ave, which would also provide more variety in dining options.

Another one bites the dust...



From the Simply Fondue St. Louis website:

We'd like to thank our customers for their support and patronage. We regret to say that we have closed permanently. We've enjoyed being a part of the downtown area and hope that the area continues to grow.

Needless to say, I'm very disappointed. I only dined there a few times, but for my wife and I, it was our favorite downtown dining destination. We liked how it was off the beaten path (parking was never a problem), but I suppose that was one of the factors that led to its demise.



The food was excellent, as was the ambience. The staff was professional and friendly, including a "severely part-time" bartender (and Urban St. Louis forum user) that worked there. Although I haven't been to The Melting Pot in a long time, I figured I'd never go back as long as SF was around. Too bad that's no longer an option.



One step forward, two steps back...

I think a poor economy and the closure of the interstate are probably more accurate.

I think you've got it- the answer is all of the above.



Simply Fondue increased their exposure by offering discounted gift certificates on the Show-Me St. Louis and KMOX websites. We used those for a couple of our visits, which made going whole hog a bit more affordable even though it was still an expensive meal overall.



That said, they had a pretty good selection of entrees, so a bloke and his better half could just get entrees with a cheese or a chocolate fondue and not spend as much money, which we did on our other visits there.



Beyond the certificate offers, though, I'm not convinced Simply Fondue did enough to build awareness. I didn't see a lot of advertising, but then I didn't seek out their advertising since it was one of my favorite downtown spots anyway, so I cannot say for sure that it was a problem. I know when I told people about the place, they were surprised to hear about it, and these are people that know the city and downtown rather well. I get the feeling the location was just a few years ahead of its time, and the economy isn't helping matters at all.



Too bad, because I thought it was a great little place.



Edit: I'm not convinced the Interstate 64/Highway 40 closure had much of anything to do with Simply Fondue's demise. As far as I can see, the West County crowd hasn't stopped patronizing other places downtown.

I recall them spending a bundle on the build-out. Money would likely have been better spent on a more optimal location. It's a shame, because I'm fairly certain they would have seen much better success if that were the case.

From a former employee of Simply Fondue it is really nice to hear all the wonderful comments about the restaurant. It has been difficult for the people that worked there because it was such a wonderful restaurant and they all believed in the concept and in the revitalization of downtown. There were many factors into the restaurant closing, but hindsight is always 20/20. Thanks again to all the customers who did support the restaurant over the past year.

I'm tired of people blaming Highway 40 for this and that. The last time I checked you still have enough density in your general area to have a solid base of business. Furthermore, nobody stopped going to work just because of construction.



IMO, the nail in the coffin was the location. Simply put, it was not visible and was detached from the other restaurants downtown. I'd be willing to bet that Mosaic's business has increased since they moved their location less than 1 block from the old location.



Simply Fondue was a great addition to downtown, had a great menu, great space, but wrong location.



I really hope they can find a way to make it work again, just closer to all of the action and hotels.