After serving St. Paul’s Macalester-Groveland neighborhood for more than 60 years, the landmark St. Clair Broiler will close at the end of the month.
Co-owner Charlie Theros says that the restaurant leases the building at St Clair and Snelling avenues, and it needs fixing. But the lease requires the building’s tenants to foot the bill for any upgrades, and the Broiler’s ownership can’t afford them.
“Today’s economics make it prohibitive to operate an independent neighborhood restaurant offering quality cuisine at a price point low enough to attract the number of customers needed to be profitable,” Theros said in a news release. “Instead of throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars into needed upgrades to the space and completely change the concept, we have made the difficult decision to close.”
Brothers John and George Boosalis founded the restaurant in 1956, serving simple flame-broiled burgers and malts. The restaurant was sold in 1969 to Jimmy Theros, who sold it to his cousin, also named Jimmy Theros, and his son, Charlie, in 2006. The second set of Theroses also own Rudolph’s Bar-B-Que in Minneapolis.
In 2000, then-Vice President Al Gore met with Democratic leaders at the corner restaurant, which is notable for its neon sign of dancing flames. According to the Broiler’s website, Gore ordered a hot fudge malt and was so impressed that he ordered two more for his staff to eat on Air Force Two.
With the recent boom in neighborhood restaurants, staying competitive has been a concern for the Broiler, which underwent an extensive menu change and decor refresh in 2015 in the hopes of attracting some younger customers.
Apparently, the gamble didn’t pay off, as the restaurant was no longer profitable, according to Dave Ostlund, who helps the restaurant group with marketing needs.
“We’d like to thank our friends and loyal customers for supporting the Broiler over the past 61 years,” said co-owner Jimmy Theros in a news release. “Closing an iconic restaurant such as the St. Clair Broiler is always hard and our hearts are heavy with sadness.”
