What Diners Want Now: The Flavors and Formats Reshaping 2026

ST. LOUIS, MO – September 3, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) The defining restaurant trend of 2026 is tension on a plate: diners want comfort and surprise, wellness and pleasure, quality and value at once; the National Restaurant Association’s current forecast puts nostalgia, global flavor, protein, lower-alcohol drinks, and affordability near the center of menu development. Whole Foods…

Entertainment

The way to foodies’ hearts: what restaurants can do to bring in more customers

ST. LOUIS, MO – September 1, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Running a restaurant is tough business, not only because the activity itself is extremely demanding, requiring both physical and mental labor and leaving little room for error, but also because the competition is absolutely insane. There are so many places where one can eat that you have…

Business

How Commercial Interior Visualization Helps Restaurants Plan Better Guest Experiences Before Opening

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 31, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Ask anyone who has opened a restaurant what surprised them most, and you’ll usually hear something about the build-out. The budget that grew. The timeline that slipped. And, more often than people admit, the moment the dining room finally came together, and something about it wasn’t quite…

Business

Do App Ratings Predict Great Takeout?

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 31, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) You might be surprised to learn that app ratings aren’t always the best indicator of great takeout. But if you’re trying to decide where to order sushi or enchiladas, it’s hard not to rely on app ratings. After all, you don’t want to risk a low-ranked option…

Business

What Go-to-Market Means for a Restaurant Today

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 31, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) According to Statista, in 2024, US food service and drinking place sales reached $1.1 trillion. It’s a booming industry, as everyone has to eat to survive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that every restaurateur will be successful. It’s important to have good food, but another part of…

Business

Miss Sheri’s Cafeteria Closing After 54 Years

SOUTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO – August 28, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Miss Sheri’s Cafeteria, one of the St. Louis region’s remaining old-fashioned cafeteria-style restaurants, is preparing to close after 54 years in business, ending a remarkable run for a restaurant that became part of the dining routine for generations of local families. The restaurant, located at…

News

Payment Reliability: What Restaurant Owners Should Know About Online Orders, Chargebacks, and Revenue Holds

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 27, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Restaurants now depend on payment systems across nearly every part of service. A guest may pay at the counter, order through a website, book a private event with a deposit, buy a gift card, pay for delivery, or use a mobile wallet at the table. Each transaction…

Business

How to Enjoy St. Louis Dining Without Overspending Before Payday

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 25, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) St. Louis has a food scene that offers something for nearly every taste and budget. From neighborhood diners and barbecue spots to international cuisine and trendy cafes, there is no shortage of places to explore. A major issue in dining out for many is how to combine…

News

How to Protect Your Restaurant From Fake Invoices and Vendor Payment Scams

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 25, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Restaurant back-office operations run on a relentless cycle of vendor deliveries, equipment servicing, and utility bills. When a fraudulent invoice lands in the accounts payable queue disguised as a regular food distributor, it often slips past a busy manager rushing to prep for dinner service. There are…

Business

Cyclospora Outbreak Raises St. Louis Lettuce Concerns

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 22, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) A massive nationwide outbreak of cyclosporiasis linked in part to iceberg lettuce has put fresh produce under unusual scrutiny this summer, leaving St. Louis restaurants and their customers asking questions about where lettuce comes from, how it is handled, and what can realistically be done to reduce…

News

Session Taco Sells Webster Groves Property for $1.55M

WEBSTER GROVES, MO – August 22, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) The restaurant group behind Session Taco has sold its longtime Webster Groves headquarters and commissary property for $1.55 million, marking another significant change for the St. Louis-based company as owners Adam and Jason Tilford reshape their restaurant portfolio. Tilford Restaurant Group’s former headquarters at 286 East Ave….

News

Napoli Patio Wall Draws Pushback From Clayton

CLAYTON, MO – August 22, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) A disagreement over the patio at one of Clayton’s best-known Italian restaurants remains unresolved after city officials again declined to approve a screening wall installed outside Cafe Napoli. At issue is the patio at Cafe Napoli, 7754 Forsyth Blvd., where the restaurant installed a pergola and approximately 7-foot-3-inch…

News

Crushed Red Resolves Clayton Dispute After Closures

CLAYTON, MO – August 22, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Crushed Red has resolved a landlord dispute involving its flagship Clayton restaurant, providing some welcome news for the St. Louis-based fast-casual chain less than a month after it permanently closed two of its newest locations. A lawsuit seeking rent and possession of the Crushed Red restaurant at 8007…

News

Stacked STL to Close Central West End Location

ST. LOUIS, MO – August 22, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) Stacked STL will close its Central West End restaurant on Sunday, August 23, bringing an unexpectedly short run to an end at one of the neighborhood’s most visible restaurant corners. The locally owned burger restaurant at 400 N. Euclid Ave., at the corner of Euclid and McPherson…

News

Saint Louis Club to Close After 62 Years in Clayton

CLAYTON, MO – August 22, 2026 (StLouisRestaurantReview) One of the St. Louis region’s longstanding private dining institutions is preparing to close its doors. The Saint Louis Club, a members-only dining and social club founded in 1964, is scheduled to close Aug. 29, ending a 62-year run in Clayton after its board determined it could no…

News