CLAYTON 鈥 The breakfast and lunch restaurant Rooster will close its location at 178 Carondelet Plaza here Oct. 26.
Baileys鈥 Restaurants, which operates Rooster as well as Baileys鈥 Chocolate Bar and Baileys鈥 Range, announced the closure on social media Tuesday.
鈥淒espite our best efforts, the current economic climate has presented challenges that we, like many others, could not overcome,鈥 the announcement said. 鈥淭he lasting impacts of COVID, rising costs of goods, and increased rents made it difficult to sustain operations.鈥
The Rooster locations at 1025 Washington Avenue downtown and at 3150 South Grand Boulevard in Tower Grove East will remain open.
Rooster opened in Clayton in October 2024.
David Bailey, who owns Baileys鈥 Restaurants with his wife, Kara, said they opened the location in Clayton with 鈥渞eally high expectations鈥 that it would match the volume of business at the downtown and South Grand Roosters.
鈥淚t simply hasn't,鈥 Bailey said. 鈥淪o same restaurant, same menu, same quality of service, same quality of food. And, you know, we're doing way less (business) with much higher rent.鈥
In July, Rooster鈥檚 landlord filed lawsuits against the restaurant for breach of contract and for unpaid rent.
In the latter lawsuit, Clayton-Franklin Clayton Plaza LLC alleged that the restaurant (as Second Street Sandwiches in Clayton) was in default for failing to pay full rent from August 2024 through this June and, as of June 9, owed $192,862.45.
Bailey said the suit will be worked out.
Small Batch, another Baileys' Restaurant concept, closed in May of this year.
The 2020s are half over. Post-Dispatch restaurant聽critic Ian Froeb reflects on restaurants he misses. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
