ST. LOUIS 鈥 Open Concept, the all-you-can-drink bar in the Grove run by the city recorder of deeds, has closed.
Recorder Michael Butler, who just announced a run for mayor, said Monday he had lost his passion for the bar business and wants to focus on politics.
鈥淚 am squarely focused on running for mayor,鈥 he said via text message. 鈥淐losing Open Concept allows me to finally do one thing, and not be spread amongst so many endeavors.鈥
Open Concept first announced the closure on social media, casting a bathroom malfunction as the last straw.
鈥淲e were hoping for a last hoorah party,鈥 a Facebook post said on Saturday, 鈥渂ut our bathroom toilets had plumbing issues last night during service and that was the last sign we needed.鈥
The announcement ended a five-year run for Open Concept, which, unlike other bars, charged patrons a flat fee per hour to imbibe as much as they could handle 鈥 $20 for beer only, $50 for everything. Butler said shortly after it opened that 95% of patrons drank responsibly and that staff could intervene with the rest.
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In February 2023, when Butler left his position as head of the state Democratic Party, Butler said he had new investment in the business.
He from some in the beleaguered party who thought he had not done enough to support candidates in the 2022 election cycle, but he denied those charges.
The bar鈥檚 social media post on Saturday said several St. 亚洲无码ans had shown interest in the buying the business over the past nine months, but none followed through.
Butler, also a former state representative, announced his campaign for mayor on Friday afternoon, citing concerns the city is moving in the wrong direction under Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
鈥淲e need to address our most important issues head-on and place crime, growing our local economy, and basic city services on the front burner, every day,鈥 Butler said in the statement Friday. 鈥淢y record of public service demonstrates my capabilities in managing difficult problems and solving them.鈥
Alderwoman Cara Spencer has also filed to run for mayor.