Revolving Restaurants II: Market volatility continues (Updated)

by David Reed

March 26,2008

            Although there has been a spate of high-profile restaurant closings recently, including Village Wine & Cheese, Ryan's Family Steakhouse and T.K. Brothers, there are at this point more restaurants coming than going in Columbia.  

           That dynamic could change for the worse if the economy deteriorates, and it is clear that many existing restaurants are having a tougher time making a profit because of rising food prices and an overall reduction in traffic.

            But Jerry Worley, a health department restaurant inspector who has worked for the city for 31 years, said that there are more restaurants in Columbia now than there ever has been. There are 658 active food establishments in the city, although that number includes convenience stores, grocery stores, cafeterias and other categories besides restaurants.

            A CBT story on the restaurant market in September quoted industry experts as saying there is an oversupply of restaurants in the local market.

           "The restaurant business here has always been volatile," Worley said. "There are places that come and places that go. There's always a lot of movement."

              For example, Shiloh Bar & Grill reopened last week (March 18) on Broadway downtown in the former location of Coliseum Bistro, and Bengals Bar & Grill, in Shiloh's former spot on Sixth Street, opened in late April. More than a dozen other restaurants are planning to open soon, including several that are moving into the space of restaurants that recently closed. (See list below) And nearly 20 restaurants have opened in recent months.          

The latest restaurant to close is Village Wine & Cheese at Broadway and 10th Street. The restaurant, with its side business of specialty foods and wine, shut its doors on March 22. A restaurant had been open at the same location for 20 years, although with a few different names and owners.

        Kathy Fluesmeier, who bought the restaurant along with her husband in 2001, told the Tribune that they never made a profit, and with the steady decline in customers and rising operational costs, they could no longer afford to stay open.

       Their experience follows national trends.

       The National Restaurant Association said 54 percent of restaurants reported a declining number of customers in January, and a government report said that people were eating at home more in 2007, the first time there's been an increase since the recession in 2001. People generally seem to have less money to spend on dining out. Merrill Lynch reports that at the end of last year, people were spending an average of 36 percent of their disposal income on food, energy and medical care, a higher percentage of income than at any time since 1960 when the statistics were first recorded.

Reviewing the Restaurant Market

Opening soon

The Rome, 114 S. 9th Street (Formerly Columbia Billiards)

Restaurant Bleu, Cherry & 8th Streets

Walnut Market, 1023 E. Walnut

Which Wich, 304 S. 9th St.

MoJo's Deli, 1013 E. Broadway (formerly Classy's)

Bengals Bar & Grill, 227 S. 6^th St. (formerly Shiloh Bar & Grill) Kobi Steakhouse, 2531 Broadway Bluffs Dr.

The Diner, 5614 E. St. Charles Road, Lake of Woods

Golden Triangle, 1301 Vandiver Drive

Jimmy Johns, 4008 W. Broadway

Steve O's, Brown School Road & Roger Wilson Drive

Lampert's Plush Pig, 1305 Grindstone Plaza

Tequila Restaurant & Bar,3509 Stingray Court, Vanderveen

Recently closed

Village Wine & Cheese, 929 E. Broadway

Ryan's Steakhouse, 908 I-70 Dr. SW

Buckingham's Barbeque at Business Loop and Providence

T.K. Brothers, 1412 Forum Blvd.

Old Chicago on I-70 Drive SW

The Bull Pen café, Business Loop

Everett's Restaurant, Rangeline & I-70

Recently opened

Shiloh Bar & Grill, 403 E. Broadway, (formerly Coliseum Bistro)

Pickleman's, 1106 E. Broadway (second restaurant)

Broadway Billiards, 514 E. Broadway (formerly Shattered nightclub)

Blue Market, 23 S. 8th St. (formerly Chez Monet)

Smokin' Chicks, 22 N. 9th

Bamboo Sushi, 3401 Broadway Business Park

McCalister's Deli, Grindstone Plaza

CC's City Broiler, 1401 Forum Blvd. (second store)

Hemingway's Wine & Bistro 3910 Peachtree Dr. (moved, expanded)

Nick & Willy's Pizza, 203 E. Nifong beside Gerbes

Buckingham's, 3804 Buttonwood

El Maguey, 21 Conley Road

Jina Yoo's, 2200 Forum Blvd

Houlihans, Broadway Bluffs

TGIF on I-70 Drive SE

Taco Bueno and Fuddruckers on Grindstone Parkway

Kaldi's, Cherry & 9th St. (formerly 9th St. Café)

American Café, Village of Cherry Hill (formerly Cherry Hill Brasserie)