When owners Mark Winfield and Jim Edmonds decided to reinvent Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse as the Precinct Sports Bar & Grill last October, they planned on making good with their soon-to-be neighbors: the City of St. Louis Police Department. The Precinct goes all in with the cop theme, displaying police memorabilia throughout the restaurant, scattering the menu with cop references and naming its hot wing contest the "Hot Pursuit."
This week, I visit the Precinct to see how the re-brand is working out for Winfield and Edmonds. Here is a sneak preview of my thoughts -- the full review will be online tomorrow and in this week's issue.
See Also: The Precinct Hopes to Transform Former Steakhouse into Cop Hangout
Owners Mark Winfield and Jim Edmonds relaunched 15 Steakhouse as a casual bar and grill to take advantage of the restaurant's proximity to the new St. Louis Police Department headquarters. But the plan has already hit a few snags. The headquarters failed to relocate on schedule and the building still sits empty. Then came the poorly named "Officer Down" hot wings challenge, which alienated the very population that the Precinct is trying to serve (apparently, cops don't appreciate people throwing around the phrase -- go figure). Winfield renamed it the "Hot Pursuit" challenge as soon as people complained, and the Precinct donates a portion of its proceeds to the St. Louis Backstoppers. Regardless, these difficulties made me wonder how effectively two civilian restaurateurs can appeal to a cop clientele -- and that's before I tried the food.
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