Terrene Closing [Updated]

By Ian Froeb on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 at 11:08 am

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Rumors started swirling several weeks ago that Central West End restaurant Terrene (33 North Sarah Street; 314-535-5100) would close. These rumors grew so persistent that I reached out to owner John P. McElwain by phone the week before last for comment. He said these rumors weren't true. On Sunday, June 26, Terrene replied to the rumors via its Twitter account:

Today, McElwain announced that Terrene would close. In the press release announcing the news, McElwain explained, "...as our family dynamics changed so have our professional goals and direction." McElwain and his wife, Sunny, recently had their first child, a girl.

"It was a very hard emotional decision, but a very easy business decision to make," McElwain tells Gut Check.

(As to the previous denials, he explains that he wanted his employees to be the first to hear the official word.)

McElwain says that he is unsure when the restaurant's final day of business will be, but he doesn't expect its supplies to last until this weekend. Regarding the nuts and bolts of closing a restaurant, McElwain notes, "I never knew how difficult this was going to be."