Pairings eatery shuts down

Rebecca Flynn closed Pairings Restaurant Oct. 29 after a year and a half in business.

The Nixa spot was founded on the idea of matching meals with wines to accentuate the intended flavors of each. But with high quality came smaller quantities of food at fine-dining prices.

“I think the majority of people want quantity, not quality, and we didn’t want to lower our standards of quality,” Flynn said.

Flynn says there’s no doubt in her mind that the Pairings concept would have flourished in markets such as Los Angeles or New York City. It was slowly catching on locally, too, but it didn’t happen fast enough.

“I could only hold out for so long before my funds were dry,” Flynn said. “I kept thinking one more month might work, but who’s to say how many more months it might take?”

Flynn owns the 381 W. Guin Road building and its property and is in talks with several real estate agents about setting a sale price. The building could be sold as a turnkey restaurant concept, complete with kitchen equipment and dining furniture.

Pairings employed 15, most of whom have found other jobs. Flynn will keep her day job as a sales manager for a California company and has a few ideas up her sleeve for future business ventures.

This story originally appeared in SBJ’s Nov. 2 free e-news Daily Update. Click here to register.