West End Grill and Pub a beloved mainstay of the Central West End dining scene that traces its roots all the way back to the iconic Duff’s, will soon be a memory. The restaurant will serve its lasts guests on Sunday, February 13th in the form of a Super Bowl blowout that is sure to draw longtime employees, regulars and those just wanting to say their goodbyes to a piece of the city’s restaurant history.
Owner William Roth cites ongoing pandemic-related challenges as the reason for the closure, noting that he had done his best to hang on but could no longer weather the persistent stressors of staffing shortages, supply chain issues, increased product prices and general uncertainty.
“At some point, you just have to surrender,” Roth says. “There was just no place left to turn. People aren’t eating out as much, there is no workforce.”
He adds, “I’ve always found that in the fifteen years I’ve done this, and in my thirty in the business, my marketing and entrepreneurial spirit could always find some way to get through, but I had to give up.”
Opened fifteen years ago by Roth and three other partners who have since departed the business, West End Grill and Pub made its name as the spot for dinner and drinks before and after shows at the adjacent Gaslight Theater. A seasoned actor and founder of the St. Louis Actors’ Studio, Roth reveled in the synergy between the restaurant and the theater, but he also found great joy in establishing WEGAP (as it was called by those in the know) as a go-to neighborhood spot always filled with regulars. His resume prepared him for such success; having spent several years at the late Duff’s restaurant, Roth was well-versed in the ins and outs of running an artsy, eclectic dining room, and he translated that vibe to the best of his abilities (with former Duff’s chef Jimmy Voss regularly by his side) at WEGAP.
However, nothing in his lengthy restaurant tenure could have prepared him for the past two years. Though he’d tried numerous things to weather the storm — takeout, reimagined wine dinners, a catering menu filled with dishes from the former Duff’s, painting classes courtesy of his wife, turning the dining room into a retail wine shop — the ongoing challenges made it too difficult to carry on.
“I’ve always had a lot going on in my life, and at 58, there are more things I’d rather do than bartend and keep a restaurant going,” Roth says. “But the saddest thing is that a restaurant — especially our restaurant — becomes such a fundamental part of the community. It’s a place where people meet their future wives or husbands or become longtime friends. On any given night, three or four regulars who’ve been coming in almost every day for fifteen years will be here. There are a lot of things you look at, and they make you sad.”
Though Roth is closing down the daily operations at WEGAP, he will continue to offer food and drink service of some sort on nights that the adjacent Gaslight Theater has shows. Though he hasn’t fully worked out what that will look like, he is leaning toward a small food offering in the $5 price range and a cash bar. However, he notes that the building is up for lease, and that he hopes someone will come in and take over the space.
“Our motto is ‘Culture, Cocktails and Cuisine,’ and we will continue to offer that until someone else comes and takes over,” Roth says.
Roth understands that there will be a number of people who want to say their goodbyes to a place that has been near and dear to so many hearts, and he hopes his Super Bowl bash will offer the opportunity for that. The party, which begins at 2 p.m. on February 13th, is open to anyone and will include opportunities for prizes, an optional all-you-can-eat buffet for $25, a cash bar, trivia and, of course, the big game on four different televisions.
“A lot of old-timers will be there, three of the four original partners, and lots of regulars, all rooting for the Rams to lose,” Roth laughs.
Musing about what could have prevented WEGAP’s closure, Roth notes that the staffing shortage has been the real killer. However, he also cites a lack of financial assistance from the government or other entities that could have changed the restaurant’s fate. Though he was able to obtain money from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), he was unable to get any other assistance from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which he says ran out of too quickly. However, he tries not to dwell on what could have been and instead is choosing to focus on celebrating a good run, fully cognizant of the natural lifecycle of the business.
“I always go back to the George Harrison tune ‘All Things Must Pass’ ” Roth says. “All restaurants will go out of business at some point. Sunrise doesn’t last all morning.”
