MABEL SUEN
Anthony's Italian Eats has closed after nine all-too-short months.
Anthony's Italian Eats (7641 Wydown Boulevard, Clayton), the nine-month-old pizzeria and sandwich shop located in Clayton's small Wydown Boulevard commercial strip, has closed. The restaurant's last day of operations was December 5.
The news, first reported by St. Louis Magazine, was announced in a statement on the restaurant's website. Though no reason was given, the statement thanked patrons and staff members, explaining that employees are being offered positions at the company's other concepts. Those include Joey B's Concord, Hill and Manchester locations, as well as Billy G's, Bill Gianino's, Frankie Gianino's Grill & Bar and Aero Hawk Catering.
In an interview with St. Louis Magazine, co-owner Joey Barczewski explained that the restaurant was the "right concept, wrong spot" and that it "just wasn't producing like we thought it would."
Anthony's occupied the tiny storefront that was the former home of Manhattan Express, transforming the generic space into a charming restaurant, tiny grocery store and takeout counter reminiscent of the Old Country. Though its footprint was small, the Anthony's team made the most of the real estate, even commissioning blankets with the restaurant's logo to extend the season for the outdoor patio.
Less than a month ago, Anthony's earned a rave review from this paper for such well-executed Italian dishes as its white pizza, meatball Parmesan sandwich and muffuletta round. At that time, chef and general manager Tessa LaPlant was upbeat about the restaurant and did not let on that it was facing imminent closure.
We have reached out to LaPlant, as well as Anthony's Italian Eats representatives, and will update this article as additional details become available. The restaurant's full statement regarding the closure follows.
To our customers
2018 has been an exciting year at Anthony's Italian Eats and we would like to take a moment to thank all of our wonderful customers who have supported us and our staff members. They have worked hard to build a positive rapport with this amazing community. We appreciate each one of you. This project has been a rewarding experience for us and we are grateful to the Clayton community for your support.
While the Anthony's Experience has been a main focus for us this year we have made the decision to cease operations effective December 5th, 2018.
We are cognizant of the impact this may have on customers and staff and accommodations have been made to offer employees the opportunity to move to other locations within our organization.
Any unused Anthony's gift certificates will be honored at any of the (3) Joey B's locations (see below). Thank you and we apologize for any inconvenience.
Joey B's Concord: 189 Concord Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63128, PH: 314-843-2121
Joey B's on the Hill: 2524 Hampton Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139, 314-645-7300
Joey B's Manchester: 14445 Manchester Road, Manchester, MO 63011, 636-527-5639
We are always hungry for tips and feedback. Email the author at [email protected].
