Santo-Bento has Closed.. Opening soon..

mark wegmann · PostDec 08, 2007#12007-12-08T15:29+00:00

unfortunaly Santo-Bento has closed. However, another venue will look to open at the same time as Pappy's Smokehous and Buffalo brewery..

January/February '08 .. bonwich's job made easy .. 3 new palces all within 100 feet of each other!

I'll post an update once the theme for the new place is announced..right now the discussions are:

1. 24 Hour Diner ..

2. 24 Hour Deli

3. Other idea's ??

dweebe · PostDec 08, 2007#22007-12-08T17:17+00:00

Whoever opens there needs to put up better/bigger signage. The hanging nylon/plastic banner doesn't work.

mark wegmann · PostDec 09, 2007#32007-12-09T07:29+00:00

He tried for more signage .. the city controls signage not the business ..

dweebe · PostDec 11, 2007#42007-12-11T17:14+00:00

Mark Wegmann wrote:He tried for more signage .. the city controls signage not the business ..

So you're trying to tell me the city didn't want them to put anything up?

lukethedrifter · PostDec 11, 2007#52007-12-11T17:58+00:00

dweebe wrote:
Mark Wegmann wrote:He tried for more signage .. the city controls signage not the business ..

So you're trying to tell me the city didn't want them to put anything up?

Mike Holmes of The Pitted Olive on Hampton told me that he had an olive shaped sign that the city refused to let him put up-

an olive shaped sign that would despoil that stretch of Hampton apparently.

kustramo · PostDec 11, 2007#62007-12-11T18:09+00:00

The city is weird about signs. When Jazz at the Bistro put up the large neon saxaphone, the other flourescent sign saying "The Bistro" had to come down. It still doesn't make sense to me, especially in Grand Center where you think they would want more lights, not less.

chrisindowntown · PostDec 11, 2007#72007-12-11T18:42+00:00

kustramo wrote:The city is weird about signs. When Jazz at the Bistro put up the large neon saxaphone, the other flourescent sign saying "The Bistro" had to come down. It still doesn't make sense to me, especially in Grand Center where you think they would want more lights, not less.

I think we can all agree that Grand Center is all about LESS, not more.

mark wegmann · PostDec 12, 2007#82007-12-12T04:23+00:00

yes the ownership tried to expand the signage and could not ..

now that does not mean a new venue could not redesign and make it more noticable.. just not any bigger ..

threeonefour · PostDec 12, 2007#92007-12-12T04:49+00:00

I agree about the inconsistency with sign standards in the city. Is this something signed off on by one person in City Hall, or is this another case where 28 people have 28 different opinions with might result in as many as 28 different standards applied?

Seriously, I don't see how an olive on a sign could spoil the looks of Hampton Avenue, which only looks like an aesthetically pleasing autocentric thoroughfare compared to South Kingshighway, which is mostly a mess IMHO.

Back to the original topic- I'm sorry to hear Santo Bento couldn't make a go of it, but I believe this area has much potential and we'll be hearing about more businesses soon. (And thanks to Mark, we'll find out much sooner here than we would anywhere else!)

debaliviere · PostDec 12, 2007#102007-12-12T14:22+00:00

So, the Pitted Olive can't add an olive sign, but the owner of the small retail strip at Hampton and Eichelberger (Porter Paints, etc.) can completely bastardize the appearance of a once-handsome building.

The Pitted Olive could really use a stand-out sign - it's easy to drive right by that place.

MattnSTL · PostDec 12, 2007#112007-12-12T16:05+00:00

^I know we are getting a little off topic, but that is my thoughts completely.

marc buxton · PostDec 13, 2007#122007-12-13T05:47+00:00

How does the signage ordinance work?

Is it based on street frontage? Building height or volume? Or is it arbitrary?

Just thinking that the Flamingo Bowl sign is pretty big...

Maybe that is a marquee, so different set of rules?

Are rules different by district (grand vs. DT for example)...

What about the huge signs on top of skycrapers? Are they huge because of the massive street frontage the buildings encompass?

Are retail and commercial different?

How about the massive signs on the ED and Busch3?

Is the Lumiere light considered "a sign"?

If it is street frontage, just think of the massive sign we could legally hang

from the legs of The Arch! J/K

urban review st. louis · PostDec 13, 2007#132007-12-13T14:15+00:00

First, Santo-Bento had a fully wrapped Scion parked out front for signage. I got them to keep their sandwich board outside the boundaries of the bike lane but it was still visible.

The cheapest thing on the menu was like $6.99. I can go to a number of places and get a half order of fried rice for like $2.50 (or two fidy if you watch south park). The portions were huge, too much in fact. I went there a few times when I made it before they closed at like 6pm. The location is not exactly a lunch crowd location.

And finally, neither Harris-Stowe or SLU make the walk to the place interesting or easy. Yes, the city's very outdated sign ordinance was an issue but there are many other reasons the place closed. Too bad too, the food was really good.

Alex Ihnen · PostDec 13, 2007#142007-12-13T21:55+00:00

I think the sign ordinance should be arbitrary (it's impossible to make a rule for every contingency), but tasteful.

mark wegmann · PostDec 14, 2007#152007-12-14T04:47+00:00

just a few points:

**The menu included items at 5.99

**It was open until 8PM

**Signage was a part of the issue as Traffic going 50 on Olive certainly had no idea it was there..

**SLU was supportive and the portions attracted the students

Harris Stowe was less..

the biggest issue was lack of dinner crowd ..Anyone say April 08?

I believe the area will boom over the course of another year .. SBento might have been a little early..as opening right nest door are the brewhouse and Pappy's BBQ .. with others coming soon..