Restaurateur David Bailey announced last week that his popular downtown breakfast spot Rooster (1104 Locust Street; 314-241-8118) will soon have a second location. Bailey is already in the midst of opening another new restaurant, Small Batch, this fall. In addition to Rooster, he's also behind Baileys' Range (920 Olive Street; 314-241-8121), Bridge Tap House and Wine Bar (1004 Locust Street; 314-241-8141) and Baileys' Chocolate Bar (1915 Park Avenue; 314-241-8100).
See also: Rooster: The Quintessential Crêpe
Bailey tells Gut Check that the second Rooster will have all the things the original has, plus extended hours, more space and even a dinner menu. He is working with executive chefs Peter Clark and Stephen Trouvere to expand Rooster's offerings.
"We'll have additional equipment we don't [currently] have which will let us do stuff like doughnuts and french fries, frankly, that people ask us for that we just can't do at the first [restaurant]," Bailey says.
The existing building at 3150 South Grand Boulevard will house one dining room, and then another dining room, and the kitchen are being built in an addition. It also sits on an acre of land that Bailey plans to build another restaurant on, too.
"It's part of our long-term ten-year plan. That's just sort of the way I operate; I'm always thinking several years out," Bailey says. "We've been on an every-two-years schedule for the last nine years -- that's a really hectic pace for the size of a company that we are. I've got little kids, and I think after this big step, I might slow my pace down a little bit. But we'll see."
Bailey has had the building on contract for several months, though it's been on his radar for years because he lives in Tower Grove. "Part of the reason we've been under contract for so long is because we went through the entire architectural design and all that is all done. I know exactly what that's gonna look like -- all we're on now is the construction timeline. Seven or eight months [until it opens]," Bailey says.
The new Rooster will have a few kitchen managers, but, Bailey says, Clark and Trouvere will oversee it just like they do the other restaurants.
"We're really excited about the neighborhood. It's where we live, and I'm committed to the city," Bailey says, promising his aforementioned ten-year plan involves staying in St. Louis. "But there's obviously lots of different parts of the city, so it fits with our whole philosophy."
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