VIA THE READY ROOM
The Ready Room will now operate as a bar and restaurant in addition to a concert venue, all within the space that formerly held Atomic Cowboy.
After more than two years of closure brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Louis concert venue the Ready Room is finally returning to the Grove, in the space formerly occupied by Atomic Cowboy at 4140 Manchester Avenue.
And according to a press release Thursday afternoon, that's not the only change being made to the beloved venue. In addition to being a destination to catch a concert, the Ready Room will now also operate as a bar and restaurant, with an expanded and fully renovated layout. The Ready Room team, consisting of co-owners Mike Cracchiolo and Rick Giordano, tapped Chef Pepe Kehm of the Clayton restaurant Peno to design the menu, which will deliver a fusion of southern Italian and St. Louis staples. Additionally, the cocktail menu will feature classic drinks such as Manhattans and Mai Tais, as well as other specialty beverages.
The venue will also now consist of three separate spaces: an interior cocktail lounge with a "'70s-'80s vibe," a small stage and a capacity of 300; an outdoor pavilion with a stage and a patio that can hold 1,000 people; and an upstairs lounge that can host 100 people for private events.
Of course, it wouldn't be the Ready Room without live music, and the team behind the venue is already hard at work booking shows, with performances by Red Fang, Dreadnaught, Randall King, Josh Ward, Melt, Wheatus, the Lion's Daughter, Path of Might, the Mall, the Gorge, Chris Colston, Devil Master and A Willhelm Scream all already on the books.
In all, the expanded Ready Room seems to be in line with its what its owners envisioned for its future when it first shut down. At that time, Cracchiolo told RFT that while it was COVID that caused the venue to close, "We’re treating this as an opportunity to retool the business, and ideally we’ll land in a spot that’s a better fit for us."
It seems as though that dream is finally coming true.
"We’re super excited for this next chapter for the Ready Room," Giordano tells RFT. "We intend to bring St. Louis the great live music events that we are known for, and in this new space we have the potential to do so much more. We can’t wait to show the Grove what we have to offer."
Exact concert dates, as well as the venue's grand opening, have not yet been announced. For more information, visit the Ready Room's official website at thereadyroom.com.
