Pairings, Bumsteads add to Nixa dining scene

Steve Branstetter has brought his Ozark original Bumsteads – known for burgers and beer – to Main Street Nixa, while Pairings is bringing fine dining and wines to the banks of the James River.

Bumsteads

Steve Branstetter opened his third Bumsteads May 17 at 1528 N. Main. The original opened three and a half years ago at 2400 N. 20th St. in Ozark, and Branstetter opened a second locale in March at 2819 W. Highway 76 in Branson.

“(The Ozark location) grew so fast and grew so big. I had a lot of people coming from Nixa to eat, as well as Springfield and surrounding communities,” he said. “I decided there was room for more.”

Each restaurant has about 25 employees.

Branstetter spent approximately $500,000 remodeling 4,000 square feet in Nixa. Omni Construction was the general contractor, and the engineer was R.F. Stalzer & Associates.

Branstetter’s history in the industry dates back to 1973, when he opened Steve’s Sweetwater Inn at 3138 E. Sunshine St.

He sold that business in 1979 to Ed McClung, who renamed it W.F. Cody’s,

and then Branstetter started a 24-year career as a trucking dispatcher for Roadway Express.

“When I retired, I decided to get back into it,” he said, adding that Nixa needs more restaurants.

“I would like to see more restaurants to make this become a Springfield destination. I feel like there’s ample market for everybody to share,” he said.

Pairings

At Pairings, each course is paired with a complementing wine. Owners Kevin and Rebecca Flynn were inspired by the idea while vacationing in California’s wine country.

“The restaurant had a huge wine list. We (had) dinner just to try all the different kinds of wine,” Flynn said.

The Flynns plan to open in early June at 381 W. Guin Road, on a bluff overlooking the James River.

Pairings customers will try four different wines with their meals, selected from a menu priced between $15 and $40, plus wine, chosen from a list of 70.

“A wine is its best when it’s paired with the correct type of food. It makes the food better, and it makes the wine better,” Rebecca Flynn said.

The restaurant has served as the Flynn’s 6,000-square-foot personal home, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired structure built in 1979.

The house was the reason the Flynns decided their business should be in Nixa.

“We walked in, and it was a crazy, funky, weird house that needed a lot of work and decoration, but I could see the finished picture in my mind,” Rebecca Flynn said.

The Flynns bought the house four years ago. She declined to say how much they are spending on renovations. HBH Engineers is the engineer and Peterson Construction is the general contractor.

Pairings, which will seat 230, will open with about 15 part-time and five full-time employees, plus the Flynns.

Daytime diners

City Administrator Brian Bingle said that even with Nixa’s rapid growth, there are concerns about attracting and retaining businesses.

“We have a significant amount of commercial construction occurring. It’s the occupancy of those buildings that we’re anxiously anticipating,” Bingle said.

Part of the problem is the number of Nixa residents that don’t stay in town during the day to add to the town’s economy – what Bingle calls “leakage.” He estimates that about 70 percent of Nixa residents work outside of the city.

“That’s my thought exactly of why we’re not open for lunch,” Flynn said.

Pairings will be open evenings, and arrangements may be made for corporate luncheons or special events.

Branstetter isn’t concerned with Nixa’s daytime occupancy rate. “Not a problem,” he said, adding that he feels Bumsteads will find its own niche in Nixa.