Economy May Kill the Fatted Calf

There was a long line stretching nearly the length of the Fatted Calf restaurant—about 25 to 30 people deep—at noon Thursday.

“It was great. It was delightful,” said owner Kathleen Portman. “The problem is we just don’t know if that’s going to continue.”

A handwritten poster in the window at 12 South Bemiston Ave. reads: “Please help save the Fatted Calf. We will be closing our doors June 30 if business doesn’t increase dramatically.”

St. Louis’ Vince and Tony Bommarito built the restaurant famous for its Calf Burgers, the first one at Locust and 10th streets in St. Louis city. The one in Clayton opened in 1966.

There were five Fatted Calf restaurants in St. Louis at one time. The last one to close was at Northwest Plaza in St. Ann.

The Clayton landmark fell on hard times along with the economy, Portman said. She and her husband, Jason Portman, bought the restaurant from Kathy Sellenriek three years ago.

“We bought the restaurant July 1, 2008,” Portman said. “The instant we bought the restaurant, it seems like it was the moment the recession hit.”

A fire in 2009 also forced them to temporarily close, which hurt the business, she said.

Business has increased dramatically for lunch since media have featured the restaurant after it announced it might be closing its doors. KSDK's Casey Nolen reported on the closing, as did St. Louis Post Dispatch's Deb Peterson.

The upswing has been great, but mostly limited to lunchtime, although dinnertime numbers are up, too, Portman said.

But she doesn’t know if it will last past the media attention.

“We know how slow it can get,” she said.

“We don’t want to close. We don’t want everyone to have to look for a new job. We’re weighing the numbers.”

Other Clayton restaurants--including the Café Napoli next to the Fatted Calf – seem to be doing fine and were crowded on weekday evenings when the resaturant's business was slow, Portman said.

“But they have different price points than we d0,” Portman said. “They have an outdoor patio. They’re a completely different restaurant than we are.”

Jack Borgman, president of the Missouri Restaurant Association’s Greater St. Louis Chapter, said it’s all about finding a niche and surviving tough times.

“Restaurants are no different than any other businesses right now,” said Borgman, owner of the Grappa Grill in St. Charles. “It’s all about survival. The good thing is that a lot of vendors are willing to work with you right now.”

He said the news isn’t all that bad. Reports show that more restaurants opened than closed in May in the St. Louis area, Borgman said.

But decision time is getting close for the Fatted Calf owners. Their lease is up at the end of June, and they need to make a decision to stay open or close by June 23, Portman said.

“It’s hella scary,” Portman said.