Danni Eickenhorst - HuSTL Hospitality

On this week’s episode of The Sauce podcast, host Lauren Healey sits down with Danni Eickenhorst, CEO of HuSTL Hospitality and co-owner of some of St. Louis’ most beloved restaurants, including Steve’s Hot Dogs, Steve’s Meltdown at City Foundry, and the iconic The Fountain on Locust.

Danni shares how an unexpected partnership with musician and restaurateur Steve Ewing helped save Steve’s Hot Dogs from closing and led to a new chapter for the brand. From simplifying menus and building stronger teams to expanding into new locations and partnerships, Danni explains how HuSTL Hospitality is rethinking what it means to run a restaurant in today’s challenging industry.

The conversation also dives into Danni’s background in nonprofit leadership and crisis response, including her experience working on disaster recovery after the 2011 Joplin Tornado and how those skills helped her lead community relief efforts when a tornado impacted parts of St. Louis near their restaurants.

Danni also discusses the realities of running restaurants today — from rising costs and unpredictable weather to shifting customer habits — and how her team is adapting by expanding into catering, festivals, food trucks, and partnerships across the region.

From loaded hot dogs and smash burgers to art deco dining rooms and ice cream martinis, this episode highlights the creativity, resilience, and community spirit behind some of St. Louis’ most recognizable dining spots.

In this episode:

Saving Steve’s Hot Dogs and partnering with Steve Ewing

Taking over the iconic The Fountain on Locust

Building the restaurant group HuSTL Hospitality

How Danni’s nonprofit background shaped her leadership style

Supporting the St. Louis community during disaster recovery

Expanding into catering, festivals, and a new Steve’s Hot Dogs food truck

Favorite menu items, cocktails, and local restaurants

Come for the hospitality insights. Stay for the stories behind the restaurants that help define St. Louis’ dining scene. 🍽️


✨ Presented by SWADE Dispensary, with 11 locations across Missouri. Learn more about their Passport Membership program at swadecannabis.com. Our other podcast sponsors are 4 Hands Brewing Co. and LHM.

🎧 Watch on YouTube or listen on Spotify and all major platforms.
 📅 New episodes drop every Tuesday.

✨ Presented by SWADE Dispensary, with 11 locations across Missouri. Learn more about their new Passport Membership program at swadecannabis.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

When our kiddo was six weeks old and I was coming back from maternity leave, we both lost our jobs on the same day. And thus started our entrepreneurial journey because I just realized I don't want anybody to be in charge of my income ever again.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Our podcast sponsor is Suede Dispensary with 11 locations across Missouri. They are debuting a new passport membership program where you'll be able to collect stamps as you explore new Delhi style strains and unlock monthly travel stipends, exclusive swag, and free flour along the way. Head to your nearest Suede location for more information or visit suedecannabis.com. Hello, welcome to the Sauce Podcast. I'm your host, Lauren, and I'm here with Danny Eichenhorst, and she is the CEO of Hustle Hospitality. Um and that is the ownership group of Steve's Hot Dogs and the Fountain on Locust. So can you tell us about your concepts?

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yeah, absolutely. So we've got Steve's Hot Dogs. Um we have actually have Steve's Meltdown as well and the Fountain on Locusts. Um Steve's Hot Dogs is fast casual, but it's also the home of the official hot dog of St. Louis. And I always say it's a little bit people think of hot dogs as one thing, but like Costco hot dog, this is not that. This is a fifth-pound all-beef smoked uh hot dog on bakery fresh bread, topped with all kinds of toppings. And um, and it's just really next level. We also have Killer Smash Burgers. Um, that's located on South Grand, uh just a little bit uh south of Tower Grove Park. And we have a location out in Chesterfield, the district. Um, we have Steve's Meltdown at City Foundry, which is my baby, and that's um grilled cheese and soup. Nothing better than that is just so comforting. And we've we've taken sort of that same approach that we have with Steve's crazy toppings, crazy flavor combinations. We have a great team of chefs working for us, and we've got some really creative combinations out there. But at City Foundry, it's also just your really great kid-friendly spot, you know.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Definitely. That's the only place my son will eat at City Foundry, actually. So I'm sorry I forgot it in the intro. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

And then Fountain on Locust is just an icon. Um, it's it is uh one of the top places that people bring people to in St. Louis. If you're traveling here, you it's a must-see. Um, it's floor-to-ceiling art deco gorgeousness, and the food is as beautiful as the art on the walls. We are known for our ice cream martinis and our retro cocktails.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

It's so cool in there. I love that place. I do too. I will admit I used to go more frequently when I lived in the city, but it's definitely still on the list for me.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Always before and after the Fox or a Symphony show. That's a good place to squeeze it in.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Now, I know that you are a fairly new owner of these concepts. So tell us how that came to be.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Yeah, I I have uh been in the industry for about six years. And um, I think a lot of people in my life think of it as uh just a like a left turn that I took. I've I've always been in community building, marketing, government, a lot of public outreach, um, things like that. And then I partnered with Steve uh uh Ewing when he was thinking about taking a different direction, maybe closing Steve's hot dogs. We partnered with him and sort of brought my business acumen to the table. My husband's our CFO, and and it's it was a really great journey. And I think, you know, it's just so funny. We've I've brought to bear all of the things from my past, the community outreach, the nonprofit work, the marketing into this new role. And for me, it just seems like such a natural fit. We really turned our restaurants into a vehicle for trying to do some good in the St. Louis region.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

I think that's so cool. And actually, I remember when Steve's was gonna shut down. Yeah. And I think we did we report on the the closure, and then like the next day you were like, actually, we're gonna save it.

SPEAKER_01 3:44

Yes, we we announced that we, I think on a Sunday night, and that night it seemed like it hit every major outlet that there was. And the next day there was a line out the door. And by Wednesday, you know, we we had said to Steve, we'll partner with you, we'll fix this. And he just said, it's gonna be too much, too hard. And um, by Wednesday, you know, seeing everybody come through and say their goodbyes, he was like, Okay, let's talk. Yeah. So we took about a month to retool the business and do our due diligence and um and then figure out, you know, how do we make it work? And we did.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Yeah, I love that. And Steve's such a cool guy.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Oh, he's the best partner a girl could ask for. Tell me more about that. He is, you know, for me to come in and look at his business and go, you're right, it's not working. Um and for him to just be like, it's cool, what do we have to do? And he's that is how he is in so many ways. You know, he is he is just uh willing to pivot, willing to try anything just to make things work. He really is so proud of Steve's hot dogs, you know, and what he built there. And so we came in and we we simplified the menu. Um, we we focused in on the things that we were really good at. We actually took hamburgers off the menu for a while because I said, you know, your hot dogs are amazing, but these hamburgers are not that. Um we we retooled it and came up with this, these amazing smash burgers that we have now. And he's just always been like, yeah, let's go, let's go. The only thing he wouldn't budge on was that bakery fresh bread for a while. And finally we we got a few more options this year. Now we have pretzel buns and a softer bun. Because I know that that bakery fresh French bread that you know that he had to hold up to the toppings was was uh it's not for everybody, you know. Yeah, it's a lot of bread. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Okay, that's really cool. Yeah. Now the fountain on locust. I mean, that's been around for quite a while in the community. Kind of tell us how how long has it been? Uh it's been around for close to 20 years now. Okay. And you just took over in the past few years, right? Yeah, 2021. Okay, so tell us how that happened.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

So uh I think Joy, uh the founder of the Fountain, she's amazing, also. Like I should say, those are big shoes to fill. Um, she's an artist, uh creative, wacky, uh, just so amazing and uh incredibly smart as a whip. But she saw what we were doing with Steve's and she said, Listen, I was trying to retire before COVID happened. And now COVID just threw all that for a loop. And I'm seeing what you're doing, and I think you love hospitality and St. Louis the way I do, and I think you might be a really good person to step into my shoes. And so we took a little while to think about it because we, you know, we we know business and we'd gotten to know Steve's, but did we know hospitality enough to not mess up this icon? Yeah. You know, it's a it's a it's a really important place, I think, in St. Louis. And um, and it was at least to our family, it was a favorite place for us to take the kids and a great date night. And so, um, but eventually we just said, yeah, and we we were all in on hospitality. I I my plan was originally for my husband to run the restaurants while I stayed at my job as a COO. Um, and we got in there, and you know, just the way that COVID had changed so many things, I was just like, okay, they need both of us. And we just went all in once we once we took over the Fountain on Locust.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

That's our podcast sponsor is Fourhands Brewing Company, which is celebrating 10 years of citywide here in St. Louis. The 10th anniversary celebration will feature collaborations with fellow iconic St. Louis companies, including Sauce on the Side, High Point Drive In, Sugar Fire Smokehouse, Gus's Pretzel Shop, Fitz's Root Beer, Blue City Deli, STL Toasted, Strange Donuts, Peacemaker, Lobster and Crab Company, Clementine's Ice Cream, Strange Donuts, and more. That's so awesome. Yes. I bet that felt good you were able to do that.

SPEAKER_01 7:25

Yeah, it felt it felt good. It felt scary. Yeah. Because I was suddenly like, oh, I don't have a paycheck. Oh, yeah, we need one of those, don't we? Yes. Yes. And this industry, you know, there are there are months where you don't pay take paychecks. And so it was it was a big leap for us, but we we have made it work. And I'm so grateful because I think this is where we're supposed to be.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

I love that. Now, I don't know much about your history prior to you getting into hospitality. So why don't you tell us about that?

SPEAKER_01 7:50

Sure, yeah. I, you know, ages and ages ago, I've been all over the world and back, but you know, prior to the economic crash, I was a vice president of a mortgage company, and that's where I met my husband, and we both worked there. Um, and then when our kiddo was six weeks old and I was coming back from maternity leave, we both lost our jobs on the same day. And thus started our entrepreneurial journey because I just realized I don't want anybody to be in charge of my income ever again. You know? Um, and so we we um we started a company actually that was selling textbooks and I would and I sold them and rented them to my um my classmates as I went back to school to sort of shift gears. And and that's what paid for my tuition and until Amazon came along. And um, but but yeah, so I've been been all over the world and back, but I um really got my start in where I'm at now uh in nonprofit. So I was the head of communications for the Salvation Army. Oh, and I handled uh, you know, pretty quick into six days into that job that the tornado in Joplin happened and I was deployed to be their PIO for that. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

That was insane. I went through there right after that happened, a mile-wide tornado. I mean, so much. It was decimated. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

I've never seen anything like that. Oh my gosh. I was sent down there a few hours after it happened and was there from like recovery of people all the way through rebuild. And um, and that was, you know, it was an interesting time. It was very hard on me. Um, and but I was able to do a lot of good. And I was I was able to show the Salvation Army and nonprofits in general for the first time how to use social media for fundraising and how to use it for recovery and outreach. I was at one intersection using a sat phone and Twitter to get sports drink to people that had no water. I was at another place um coordinating uh medical care for somebody else using my sat phone in social media, and it was the first time that they'd seen that happen. Um and so it really was allowed me to build a name for myself. And from there I really used the tools that I'd I'd built and I'd honed to to figure out how do I make St. Louis better. And I worked for great, you know, Great Rivers Greenway for a while, and then I went out on my own and I opened an agency called Blank Page Consulting. And um through there I worked with a really wide breadth of government nonprofit and really small businesses, and that's where I started working with Steve. Um, and so I I really have always been about how do I how do I use the tools that I've got to make everything around me just a little bit better? And that was I felt like when you work outside of a nonprofit, they listen to you a little bit more than when you work inside a nonprofit, you know. And so that was like, let me see how many I can partner with and really help them.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Okay. Yeah. So do you think that working during the Joplin tornado aftermath helped you with the Delmar tornado stuff?

SPEAKER_01 10:35

Yeah. So this made two of our restaurants were hit with the tornado directly. And uh I immediately kicked into PTSD, to be quite honest, on the drive over. I was very scared and I was going through all those emotions. But the good news was when them from the minute my feet hit the ground, I was able to help everybody.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

You know, I knew what it was. It was first, let's deliver first aid, second, you know, we'll check on our people, deliver first aid, head down the street, then make sure everybody's okay. Then we were fixing the big pieces so that if if a second wave of storms came through, things were getting picked up again and people getting hurt. Um, and then it was feeding. And I that's what we do. So we I mean, we started feeding uh, you know, just an hour after the storm, really, because um, and I I just reconnected with actually the the couple that that came. There was one of them stuck in their home that had to stay there because the front wall had fallen off and they needed to guard their things, and the other one was sent out for food because they had nothing. And you know, and so that's and and they were just so grateful that we were there and I was so grateful we could help them. Yeah, you know, and and so yeah, it was it was amazing. I was able to be sort of the calm in the storm and the person that was directing the recovery and the response and and able to take our spaces, which thankfully um the the hit was significant, but it it would they were able to be used. Um they were very, very usable. We were in so much better shape than so many people and turned them into recovery hubs. And so, you know, we fed 750 people in that first week out of our space, just using things that we were trying to get rid of so they didn't spoil. Um, and then people brought more supplies to us. And then uh I partnered with the national nonprofit, and we got out 300 bags of personal supplies and groceries to the neighborhood. Uh, we were able to have, you know, um different community organizations come set up and help people. And so yeah, it it was valuable. And I think it's so interesting that uh to first off to be in a position to have gone through this twice.

SPEAKER_00 12:29

Oh my gosh, I know.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

But I am grateful that in both instances uh I was able to do some good.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yeah, it sounds like it. And I know it's so tough for that area because that tornado really kind of killed business over there for a while, didn't it?

SPEAKER_01 12:43

Yeah, it I mean it still has. It's in the the reality is is that nothing's been done, even this far forward for so many people in that area, right? Rich and poor. Um, and you've got both in that area. And and and there's just, you know, from insurance issues to FEMA issues to delays in in city uh funding coming out, you know, and and r recovery. And and uh there are resources and maybe not everybody knows about it too. And so I've joined the the the Tornado Commission and I serve on that with you know the Mayor's Tornado Commission trying to help get that word out now because I really, you know, we've we had to close up shop because all of our business just dried up in that area because all of our neighbors left. Um but but at the same time I'm able to continue to serve in that way, which is awesome.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

It's good you're keeping it all in perspective. Yes. So I know that you're kind of pivoting the business model a little bit, um, just because the brick and mortar aspect is kind of challenging. So tell us how you're getting into new avenues and new revenue streams.

SPEAKER_01 13:46

Yeah, we're kind of flipping it on its head. You know, every year we have a leadership retreat, and 2025 was just a doozy. You know, not only do you have a tornado hitting two of your locations to contend with, but we had, you know, every time uh somebody political speaks up and says something scary, people stop spending money and we're the first people to feel it. Yeah. Um, you know, every time it's cloudy or cold in St. Louis, nobody comes out. We're the first people to feel it. So it's uh it's a hard year. And for, you know, it the year started with all of our these beautiful outdoor events that we had planned, every single one got rained out this year. It was just one of those years, you know. So um so we really, it was just a heck of a year for us. And so in September, we all sat down and decompressed and we just talked through what had happened and where do we need to go next. And and the collective place we landed on is brick and mortars right now in this environment. Part of our mission is to build safe spaces and these third places for people to gather and find community, but also they can be a real drag on a business. The overhead, the increasing utilities, the insurance, you know, even when our meat maybe is stable and the prices on our ingredients are calming down, these other things are really out of control.

SPEAKER_00 14:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Um, and so we've we've decided to really uh lean into the areas of our business that don't have that overhead for now. It's to we we will it was really we had to make the choice of is it more important for us to have all these locations out in the community, or is it more important for us to deliver on the promise we made to our staff? And we told them we wanted to do hospitality differently. We want them to have quality of life. And if we don't have revenue or profit at the end of the day, we can't.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

You know, and so we've decided that we're gonna focus really hard on catering, stadiums, food halls, partnerships, trying to get into universities, um, leaning into our catering. We've got a food truck that's launching in just a couple of weeks. Really? So yeah, Steve's hot dogs is launching a food truck. Uh uh, we'll be out at all of the festivals, but we're also available to come cater your party. Okay. Um so you know, we've with these this is the direction because those are high volume opportunities where there's revenue revenue to be made. There's a much lower overhood, always great partnership. You know, we've done things with with um Shakespeare in the Park and Grant's Farm. Those partnerships mean a lot, and they want us to be successful just as much as we want to. And those opportunities allow us the revenue to actually pour back into our people.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Okay, awesome. Now let's take it in sort of a fun direction. Um, tell us what are some of your favorite menu items there at your restaurant.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Oh gosh. Okay, so I'm gluten-free, which is the most annoying, but all of my restaurants will accommodate you.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

That's good because more and more people are gluten-free.

SPEAKER_01 16:22

Yes. Yeah. So for me though, I I do a uh uh, we've got a gluten-free bun at Steve's and uh it alternates. The St. Louis dog is the St. Louis dog for a reason. It is really, really good. And I think it's it's uh grilled uh green peppers and onion, pepper jack cheese. We've got this smoky pepper mustard that we make in-house that that goes on top of there, and then bacon as well. And it's just it's killer. Okay. So that's I would say that's probably my favorite at Steve's. And then, you know, you can't go wrong with our chili, and I just go over the top with raw onion and jalapeno. I haven't had your chili. Oh, it's killer. It's okay. Good to know. Yes, and our and I think my go-to munchie there is a classic, but it's our our fries. We keep winning awards for them.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

They're because they're good. What makes them special?

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Um, they are just their they're they're crinkle fries, they've got this great seasoning on them, and uh, and we serve them up loaded. Um so all the things that you could get on any of our hot dogs, you can get on a fry. I like that. Yeah. So if you're not a hot dog person or you're not a smash burger person, try our loaded fries. Everyone's a fry person. Everybody's a fry person. Um at the fountain, I would say we've got a cocktail that's my favorite called the T.S. Elliot. Oh, what's in there? It's chartreuse. I know is the predominant flavor, and the rest is a mystery. I don't know because I don't bartend. They serve what it is, but I like it. They serve it perfect every time. And um, it's you know, one and you're done. It's a delightful cocktail. Okay. Uh slow sipper, uh, which I always love those two. Um, and then our soups really weirdly at the fountain. That is not why I bought this restaurant. I did not realize. I my first Monday working there, the phone started ringing, or I guess my Tuesday, and it was people asking, what's the soup of the week? And I was like, really? What's the deal? Like, why is this such a big deal? And um, I started talking to our staff. They're like, oh, it's a big deal. We have 62 scratch-made soups. Really? And they are, I mean, we're chopping vegetables and doing it all in the back. That's the thing that we are known for. And we've, and it's really, really, we've got quite the following. And uh, the one everybody knows and loves and will drive hours for is our Polish dill pickle soup.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

Okay, interesting.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

It's a potato base and it's just a really mild pickle um flavor, and it is it's awesome. And I love to pair that with our Cuban sandwich. Okay. So it sounds good. Yes, it's a it's a good, it's a good day. And you know, if you're feeling crazy, we've got a pickle martini too, but it might be a little too much.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

No, we can we can dig it.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Okay. What about over at uh Steve's Meltdown? Steve's Meltdown, though. That one is the one that I have created and never had because it's that I should say that that one does not have gluten-free bread yet. We're working on finding the right, the right way to do it in such a small stall, so there's not cross-contamination. But I uh when we were working up all the recipes, I was like, Can I just smell it? Exactly. But we have a team that was just like, no, this is the one. Um, but the one that everybody, my husband loves is our sweet Caroline. And so that's got white cheddar, it's got a little bit of brie, it's cranberry and apple. Oh, that one was good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

I tried that with the first look, I think. Yes, it's just well, when we go, my son gets mac and cheese and french fries. So it's a very carb-heavy meal. He loves it. Classic. Yeah.

unknown 19:31

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

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SPEAKER_01 20:11

So we're we're partnering with the factory. Not on every show, but on sort of their larger shows. We come out and provide some concession support. Okay. So far, so good. It's I mean, we're we're loving the partnership and um we're we're loving being out in the district as a whole. You know, we got there a little bit early, um, and we're it's still developing, but the the slate of things they have coming out there is really impressive. And I love how they're just sort of curating some of the city's best out there and bringing that vibe.

SPEAKER_00 20:36

Yeah, no, I've only been out there a few times, um, but I'm going again Saturday, so I'm excited. Can you tell us kind of how that has grown since you joined and when did you open down there?

SPEAKER_01 20:45

So we opened in December of 2024. Okay. Um, and so we've a little bit over a year out there now. And uh it with the point it is, you know, you've got four hands and high point and Steve's. Then Napoli opened. That's right. Uh Narwhal's has opened. Um then you've got Bikes and Brews, which is this coffee shop with, and then they've got some bites there too. Really healthy stuff if you're on the run over there. That's great. You have It's Sugar that just opened up. So that's probably the only like chain, but it's a lot of fun, and the guys are great down there. We love them. Then Paddle Up Pickleball just opens. Oh nice. So we run food down to them. Okay. Um, so if you're playing, there's a QR code and you can order, and we'll bring down your food. Um, you've got Lit Cigar Bar. Um they have Oaxaca is opening at any time now. They're they're a really well-known and well-respected margarita bar and Mexican grill from Illinois that they brought over. I need to get on that. Yes. So there, I can I'm like, we're watching the construction every day, getting very excited. Um, they have got uh uh a kids' play center that's gonna be opening later this year. Oh and some other stuff I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about, but the I'm very excited about it. They also have Candle Fusion, which if you're familiar with them from City Foundry, they just expanded out there.

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Oh, that's so awesome.

SPEAKER_01 22:00

Yeah. So it's okay. It's a good time and it's just growing. And I I and in fact I know that um most of the spots are spoken for. So there's a lot to come.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

So when I moved to St. Louis, that was a mall. Yeah. And I would go shopping there, but you know, it didn't last long because there's that other mall like right down the road. Yes. So I love seeing that it's been repurposed and it seems really successful.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Yes. And it's got this gorgeous outdoor space that I just love. So it's a it's a fun time where you can just come and bring the whole family in. Dad can get what he wants, mom can get what she wants. You can hang out outside. What like right now we've had people just the weather's been so nice watching the Olympics outside, nice having a beer by the fire, and it's it's just a great time.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

That's so fun. And so there's the music venue, the factory, right on one side, but isn't there like a sporting complex down on the other side?

SPEAKER_01 22:46

There is a there's main event, and then there's also um in pickleball, and there's uh and then there's uh a gym, and I the name is escaping me. House of pain, the gym is.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

That's a scary sounding name. Yes, right. Yeah, exactly. Okay, cool. So it seems like every time I drive by there, I mean the parking lot seems pretty packed.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

Yes. So I love that you're out there. It's a good time. You know, I never would have guessed that Seesaw Dogs would expand to Chesterfield that just seemed like sort of not the brand to eat those, but what they're doing there is just so intentional. Yeah. And I just I love it that they're supporting local in that way.

SPEAKER_00 23:19

Well, a lot of people are, you know, moving out that way. So you might as well bring the food to the people.

SPEAKER_01 23:24

It's so funny how many times a week that somebody will come through and at the checkout, I might be checking them out and they'll be like, I'm so glad you're here. I'm sorry. I stopped going into the city because I have kids, you know, and I've moved out here to be with my family or to like, you know, be a part of these the school district, but I am so stoked that you guys are here. So uh yeah, it's it's a regular occurrence.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

I love that. Okay. So when you're not uh doing the work thing, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_01 23:48

I love to travel and I love to hike. And last year I had two foot surgeries and was super not mobile. So this year I'm getting back to it. Where are you going? Uh going to Sedona in a couple of weeks.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Oh, that'll be fun. Yeah. So just a big hiking trip.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Yes, I'm in my parents' RV from from pretty much January through April, and they always stop in Sedona. So I'm flying out to meet with them, and I'm just gonna get in all the hiking that I can.

SPEAKER_00 24:11

I'm still happy for you. You know, me too. That sounds wonderful. Yes. It sounds warm out there. Yes. I've never been to Sedona, but I just hear wonderful things. I'm a little woo-woo. Um, me too.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Okay, so if you're woo-woo, that's the place for you. Last time I went, we went out into the desert with a shaman and did a ceremony and meditated. And I gotta tell you, I will never forget it. Tell me more about it. Well, I'll tell you. We we uh she took us out into the desert and did a traditional Native American ceremony and then led us through a guided meditation right there. Um, and you know, they've got these different um uh I don't know if they call them, they're I think they're called vortexes, where they're little centers of energy. And we did one at a vortex there. How was that? It was it was truly powerful. I was kind of shocked. Can you feel the energy? Yes, it's yes, so much so that the woman next to me said she's a I should guess sort of empathetic and empath, and she was like, You you felt so hot. Like you had so much energy coming off of you specifically that I was feeling things, but I I didn't expect it to be as incredible as it was, and I loved it, you know?

SPEAKER_00 25:12

That's so cool. You're not the first person who has told me a very similar story. And in fact, a friend just moved out there because they love it so much. I could do that. Did you see a UFO?

SPEAKER_01 25:21

No, no, but I'll tell you the first time I went out there, we we were standing out at the sky, we had a campfire, and we look up and we just see this this line of dots moving in the sky, and we thought that was it. And it took me about two years to figure out it was Starling. Starling satellites, yeah. For about two years, I was like, I saw a UFO.

SPEAKER_00 25:37

It probably was a UFO to you.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Yes. I was just like, what is happening? That's cool. Surely I'm not seeing this.

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Well, well, maybe you never know what you're seeing.

unknown 25:46

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 25:46

Um, now, uh, what kind of restaurants do you like to go to around town besides your own? Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

So, you know, I live out in Webster and we are really lucky out there. We've got Olive and Oak if I want a good date night. Um, I've got off Elm for Cocktails. So good. Walking distance to my house, you know, it's the best.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

That's good. You want to be able to walk home from.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Exactly. Um, and uh Dee Dee Mao is a favorite of mine. So good. I'm totally making a beeline from here to there, actually. That's amazing. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

Yeah, it's a great part of town to live in.

SPEAKER_01 26:17

Yeah, we're lucky. And I just, I'm so grateful it's all walkable, bikeable.

SPEAKER_00 26:20

Yeah. It's uh the houses over there are so gorgeous too. That's nice. Okay. Well, is there anything else you want to chat about?

SPEAKER_01 26:28

Uh, you know, I would just say people ask me a lot what what, you know, in this climate with what's going on with restaurants in St. Louis, so many of them closing and and everything, what they can do to help restaurants right now. And one of the things I was I host the St. Louis restaurant mastermind. So we pull together all of the restaurant owners that we know and we all talk and we're like, what's going on? How can you, you know, what are you struggling with? What are you doing with? The thing that we're all struggling with right now is really just that people are shifting away from talking about their experience in person. And you know, some I I would say 100% of the people that work for me, myself included, our whole goal is to serve people when they come in. And so many people, rather than just letting us know if something goes a little bit off in the course of service or if we've made a mistake, rather than communicating that, they're going online and just blasting small businesses. Oh, yeah. And it's just it is happening more and more and more. It's tough. You know, and so I think if people want to help restaurants right now in St. Louis, show up for sure. Yeah. Right. But if you have a good time, talk about it. Right. Um, and when you leave a bad review, rather than giving somebody a chance to make it better for you, first off, we live for that. We want to make it better. We can really uh knock it out of the park if you give us a chance. But there's a chain reaction, you know, it demoralizes the staff. Yeah, it hurts their ranking on Google, it lowers their business because you've done that, and it and it really hurts your neighborhood. Yeah. So so I would just ask people to to choose grace over Google, talk to people face to face, give them a chance to give you a great experience, but also sing the praises of the ones that do. Tell them to their face that they're giving you a great experience and then go online and put a little wind in their sails.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

I love that. Yeah. Okay, I could use that. Well, thanks so much for stopping by. Absolutely. Thank you.