Bars and Restaurants

Restaurants across the metro continue to reopen and expand their service as diners return to restaurants. There’s just one problem: They can’t find enough good help. St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe and Tom Schmidt of Salt + Smoke joined "St. Louis on the Air" to discuss what's going on.

St. Louisan Natasha Bahrami discusses her family’s journey in the restaurant industry, her recent induction into the Gin Hall of Fame and more.

The rates of alcohol and drug abuse are higher within the food service industry than most other professions. And yet, restaurateur Katie Collier is a testament to the fact that you don’t need to leave the service industry to curb an addiction. After struggling with substance abuse for years, Collier is now celebrating a decade of sobriety.

With new cases of COVID-19 in the St. Louis area moderately declining in recent weeks, St. Louis County officials have opted to ease restrictions on restaurants and bars.

The CEO of Niche Food Group wants elected officials to do more to keep people safe from the coronavirus and restaurants in business.

Neighboring counties in the Metro East are taking opposite approaches to enforcing the governor's coronavirus related restrictions. Some are cracking down on violators, while others are relying on educating those who break the rules.

Local governments in the St. Louis region have taken disjointed approaches to managing the coronavirus pandemic, and restaurant owners say they are paying the price.

The St. Clair County Health Department suspended food or liquor licenses for seven bars and restaurants late last week, and could order more businesses to close if they don’t comply with a statewide ban on indoor service.

It might seem that restaurant owners Joe Jovanovich and Mohammed Qadadeh have enough on their plates just keeping their eateries open. They run the Pat Connolly Tavern and American Falafel, respectively, and are busy finding innovative ways to operate and pay their employees during the challenging year that is 2020. Yet they’ve also stepped up to address food insecurity among their neighbors in the midst of all that — as have many of their peers in St. Louis’ vibrant, and hard-hit, restaurant industry.

New restrictions in St. Louis County aim to slow soaring numbers of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. But business owners in Fenton and the Delmar Loop have said the differing approaches between counties has made it hard for their business to stay afloat.