Downtown Parlor 88 closes, another sold to veteran restaurateur

In the last two months, two Parlor 88 eateries closed, and one was picked up by a veteran restaurateur for a new bar concept.

The downtown bar closed around April 1, and the 3663 E. Sunshine St. location sold around the same time to Nicola Gilardi. The moves leave one remaining Parlor 88 open - the first of three - at 1111 E. Republic Road.

Gilardi concept
The veteran restaurateur, who operates Nicola's Ristorante on the west side of the Eastgate Plaza shopping center, purchased the Parlor 88 in the same center from Paul Sundy, Trevor Crist and Adam Pyle.

Gilardi said he is repurposing the space into a concept dubbed Maso Grill, which he said would continue to serve as a bar but would raise the ante on bar food. He said the lounge, which he expects to open around July, wouldn't serve the same food as the nearby Nicola's.

"I don't want to compete with myself," Gilardi said.

Gilardi sold his center city establishment Gilardi's Ristorante in February 2013 to former employee James Martin.

Parlor moves
The downtown Parlor 88 location, 300 Park Central East, was purchased by its general manager, Brian Wendelman, in October, but he has since closed it, Sundy said, noting he was unsure why the closure occurred. Wendelman could not be reached for comment by deadline.

Sundy, who co-owns English Management, which serves as the management company for Parlor 88, as well as Big Whiskey's locations, holds an ownership stake in the now-vacant downtown building. The 4,200-square-foot property is being marketed for lease under Sundy and crew's 28 Properties LLC.

With Parlor 88 now down to its flagship location on Republic Road, Sundy said he and his partners have made a concentrated effort to focus on the Big Whiskey's American Bar & Grill brand.

"We've consolidated down because we're expanding Big Whiskey's," he said, noting a fifth location is scheduled to open in mid-June at the B&B theater complex in Ozark. "We're doing 11 stores in the next five years.

"We're trying to go big with that brand. We really feel like it's an expandable brand."

Sundy and partners own three Big Whiskey's restaurants in Springfield and one in Little Rock, Ark. He said the group has identified other possible markets including Branson, Columbia, Kansas City and Joplin.[[In-content Ad]]