The late-night scene has returned to South Grand, says Danni Eickenhorst. And she would know. Eickenhorst is the CEO of HUSTL Hospitality Group and co-owner of Steve’s Hot Dogs (3145 South Grand Boulevard), which moved to the destination dining strip from Tower Grove East in 2021. It was a hard time for the street: South Grand was hit hard by the pandemic not just in the usual ways, but by the fact that some restaurateurs who’d been at it for decades decided the midst of a pandemic was as good as any time to retire.
But a raft of dynamic new bars and restaurants — and even an events space – have now opened their doors, and to the delight of night owls, many of these places are staying open later.
Eickenhorst recently joined us to explain what’s afoot. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
When did you realize South Grand was back?
I was hanging out with my crew at Steve’s Hot Dogs, closing up the restaurant last weekend. And as we’re closing up and enjoying each other’s company, we noticed that there were just throngs of people moving up and down South Grand, and honestly, it’s been a while since we’ve seen that. Part of the reason we came to South Grand was because of that nightlife and the scene that South Grand has always been known for. Coming in post-COVID, it was kind of a bummer to see that that had really gone away with all the closures and changes in consumer behavior. I reached out to all of our neighbors in the district and said, “Are you guys seeing this? Or is it just us? Was it a one off?” And they all said, “No, absolutely. We’re seeing it. South Grand late night is back.”