Owners ponder fate of Belleville wine bar. Community helps Edwardsville coffee shop
The Wine Tap at 223 E. Main St. in Belleville remains closed while its owners ponder its future.
Co-owner Robbie Fogarty-Hayden says the downtown wine bar temporarily closed Dec. 19. With COVID restrictions at that time, The Wine Tap was not booking the private parties and special events that normally happen during the holiday season.
During the last several months, Fogarty-Hayden said she and husband Dan Fogarty-Hayden have been keeping busy with other projects.
While she hopes the closure remains temporary, Robbie Fogarty-Hayden says they have not made a final decision. If The Wine Tap does reopen, it will do so in May.
Fogarty-Hayden plans to make an announcement about The Wine Tap’s future in the coming weeks.
The business’ website says, “Currently Closed,” and the Facebook page is deactivated. The Instagram account is still active and lists the business as “Currently Closed.” The last Instagram post is dated Dec. 18, 2020.
Additional information will be reported as it becomes available.
A community comes together to help an Edwardsville coffee shop
A GoFundMe page has recently been set up to help purchase a new commercial oven for Sacred Grounds Café in Edwardsville.
A goal of $18,000 was set for the online fundraiser, organized by Fred Faust of Edwardsville. During the first three days, more than $6,000 was raised.
Owner Kate Baumgartner said she is “consistently surprised by the community” and is touched by the effort.
The GoFundMe description for “Help Kate Bake!” states: “The mainstay of any bakery is the oven. … [Baumgartner]’s oven is on its last legs. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Her range is older than she is and the exhaust hood does not draw well.”
The target amount for the fundraiser includes the cost of replacing the range and exhaust hood.
“It’s not about me; it’s about Sacred Grounds,” said Baumgartner, knowing that people want to save the business.
“If there’s a bright side [to the pandemic],” added Baumgartner, “it’s that people realize that with … businesses, if you don’t patronize them, they’ll go away.”
The popular coffee shop faced closure in December but was rescued at the last minute. Baumgartner purchased the business in January and reopened in February.
Sacred Grounds Café is located at 233 N. Main St. in Edwardsville. Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For more information, call 618-692-4150 or visit the Facebook page.
Area Pizza Hut locations acquired by largest franchise operator in U.S.
San Francisco-based Flynn Restaurant Group LP recently acquired Pizza Hut locations throughout the metro-east and St. Louis areas.
The country’s largest franchise operator acquired 937 Pizza Hut and 194 Wendy’s locations throughout the U.S. from NPC International, according to a March 24 press release.
“We are excited to announce the addition of Pizza Hut and Wendy’s to our portfolio,” said Greg Flynn, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Flynn Restaurant Group. “They bring with them a wonderful team of dedicated operators and support personnel, who we welcome whole-heartedly into the Flynn family. Further, both Pizza Hut and Wendy’s are deeply established as leading concepts in their sectors, and our entry into their systems furthers our goal to operate at scale in top-tier brands.”
The transaction was supported by Main Post Partners and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, long-term partners of Flynn Restaurant Group, stated the release.
A map on the Flynn Restaurant Group webpage for Pizza Hut shows all of the newly-acquired locations. Area Pizza Hut restaurants include:
Alton, 3096 Homer Adams Parkway
Belleville, 652 Carlyle Ave.
Belleville, 5720 N. Belt West
Cahokia, 1230 Camp Jackson Road
Carlyle, 1190 12th St.
Collinsville, 608 N. Bluff Road
Columbia, 1005 S. Main St.
Fairview Heights, 5913 N. Illinois St.
Freeburg, 5 W. Apple St.
Granite City, 3801 Nameoki Road
Mascoutah, 806 W. Main St.
O’Fallon, 729 W. Highway 50
Sparta, 1801 N. Market St.
Waterloo, 903 N. Illinois Route 3
No area Wendy’s restaurants were part of the acquisition.
Multiple area Pizza Hut locations closed in September when NPC International filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the previous July. These locations were not included in the recent transaction.
Flynn Restaurant Group nearly doubles its restaurant count with this acquisition, according to the release. Flynn’s portfolio also includes Applebee’s, Panera Brad, Taco Bell and Arby’s.
For more information about Flynn Restaurant Group, visit the website at flynnrestaurantgroup.com.
SBA will soon accept applications for a new economic relief grant
The U.S. Small Business Administration will start accepting applications for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant on Thursday, April 8.
The SBA issued a press release March 19 to announce the launch of a splash page for the grant’s application portal. An information webinar about the new program will be available prior to the start of the application period.
“Help is here for venue operators hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The SBA has worked diligently to build the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program from the ground up to assist and address the diverse eligibility requirements of each type of applicant, and we will open for applications on April 8,” SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said. “The SBA knows these venues are critical to America’s economy and understands how hard they’ve been impacted, as they were among the first to shutter. This vital economic aid will provide a much-needed lifeline for live venues, museums, movie theatres and many more.”
The free webinar highlighting the grant application process will take place from 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 30. To register, visit eventbrite.com.
To learn more about the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, including eligibility requirements, frequently asked questions and video tutorials, visit sba.gov/svogrant.
This story was originally published March 28, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
