West Newsmagazine 9-9-20

22 I NEWS I
September 9, 2020
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
@WESTNEWSMAG
WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
Panera Bread to move into
former Ballwin Steak ‘n Shake
From steakburgers and shakes to bagels and cold brew, this former burger joint is approved for
new life as a Panera café.
(Ryan Moore photo)
By JEFFRY GREENBERG
The long-time Steak ‘n Shake motto is
‘In Sight It Must Be Right.’ Well, Steak ‘n
Shake’s westernmost Ballwin site at 14646
Manchester has recently been deemed just
right for a Panera Bread location.
As such, a special use exception petition
(Bill 4070) was unveiled at the Aug. 24
Ballwin Board of Aldermen meeting.
“It sounds very interesting,” Alderman
Michael Finley (Ward 1) said. “From the
petition, it seems like this would be a
unique, first-of-its-kind with the drivethrough
part, correct?”
“Well, it’s the first of its kind because it’s
a smaller café for us,” replied Levi Ottwell,
Panera’s senior development manager.
“There are going to be some improvements
to the exterior.”
Some of the key stipulations in the
ordinance, which granted front yard parking
and operation of the restaurant with
outdoor seating and a drive-thru service
window, are as follows:
“The permittee shall provide an illumination
study and shall place adequate shields
on all lights to prevent light pollution. Outdoor
seating shall only be allowed on the
west side of the building. No live music
shall be allowed.”
Alderman Kevin Roach (Ward 2) was the
first to address one of the aforementioned
concerns. He asked whether there was any
resolution to lighting issues from concerns of
the neighbors just to the east of the building.
“We did a preliminary plan with the
existing lights on that site,” Ottwell replied.
“We don’t feel they exceed the existing
ordinances for lighting on this site. The
spread is pretty low headed toward the
south with concern for the neighbors’ property.
If we do upgrade the lighting, it will
be LED lighting rather than halogen lights,
and we’ll take measures to keep the lighting
low. We don’t start until next year. We
have to get through MSD (Metropolitan
Sewer District) and the permit process.”
The bill passed unanimously to become
ordinance 20-17.
“I consider our city to be very fortunate,”
Finley said. “We’re the only ones I know
of in which an old Steak ‘n Shake building
is being made into something new. So,
thanks to you and members of our city staff
for doing all this work.”
The former Steak ‘n Shake at 14646 Manchester Road is slated to become a new Panera
Bread location, complete with a drive-through.
(Ryan Moore photo)