05/24/2013
We are excited to announce some changes that have been made (and a few that are still pending) to serve you better, much faster & that make logistical sense....
As so many of you know, Steam was started as a little coffee shop in January 2011. It was to be a place for John & Maddie to have good stable jobs, learn about small business & to develop strong leadership and work ethics.
(CHECK) – mission clearly accomplished and far exceeded!
Well, we grew and grew and grew. And what was once this little coffee shop turned into this big restaurant, with 150 seats and serving breakfast, lunch & dinner 7 days a week. Because of the tremendous love from our St. Pete Beach community & friends all over the world (literally), we have really gotten too big for our britches (or kitchen) as the case may be. Since our little kitchen only allowed for 2 cooks on unbelievably small and un-restaurant equipment we opened the Bakery, which housed a huge 1500 sf commercial kitchen. And, we began to operate the bakery as a free standing business and do our ‘prep’ in the bakery kitchen. As the months have gone on – our business has still continued to grow. And THANK YOU… but we grew beyond my own imagination so we have been looking for solutions to solve our efficiency, service & ex*****on problems. You see, the ‘service’ challenges we have had are not really the fault of our wait staff – they are facility related. Chill & Steam were never built as a restaurant. It was a sparsely appointed coffee shop and raw retail space.
What we have done is this –
We moved the “wine bar” into the space where the coffee equipment & coffee shop was housed. This allowed us to DOUBLE the size of our kitchen & therefore serve you much faster & much more efficiently.
We have combined the “coffee shop” with the bakery in the bakery space. It’s a PERFECT solution because it’s impossible to maintain the ambiance and mission of a coffee shop with a full blown restaurant operating all over it. Deacon is running the coffee bar, of course, and he is LOVIN’ the new space! It’s back to being a ‘real coffee shop.’
We also have another espresso machine and trained baristas up in the restaurant at ALL times, so if the coffee shop is closed any coffee needs can still be met. ALSO, we will still be serving our Espresso Bar menu at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Free wifi is still available in both the restaurant and the new coffee shop space. No worries coffee shop people, we are committed to coffee! (Seattle-ites remember ☺ )
We built a new counter/bar which allows for a lot more room in the “steam” space.
We put gorgeous new wood floors in the Steam space.
We moved the dishwashing room (wow what a great idea this has been) to the back of the Chill space, easing the traffic flow throughout our dining room.
We moved the stage to the front of Chill.
We opened up ‘windows’ to connect the two spaces even further.
We purchased and installed a huge number of new booths to accommodate quieter date night seating as well as large party seating back where the stage and dance floor used to be.
We are applying for a full liquor license since we now have the appropriate number of seats and square footage. (My daughter Kimmie is coming to set up that new space and our cocktail & happy hour menu) I couldn't be more grateful she is coming all the way from Houston to help our the family business for a month! What a blessing!
We have revamped our ‘prep’ kitchen and we will welcome you for a tour.
We are in the process of painting the exterior of our building.
We have planted a ton of new landscaping.
We are installing misters to cool off outside seating.
We built and are still creating server wait stations to increase service efficiency and organization.
We are updating our menu’s (which we always do at season change anyways)….
And, if all that wasn't good enough news... You'll find my daughter Molly & her husband Chris hostessing and serving tables on the weekends (which means Baby Ellie gets to be with Grandmommie at the restaurant HORRAY)!!!
And, last but not least, we are implementing a SERVE ALL DAY policy so that we will offer a 3-6 menu that will include some of everyone’s favorites dishes along with drink specials too - all discounted!
So…. It’s been a busy month for us. Your patience while we have closed for a few days here and there, and while plumbers drill stuff here and there, and while painters paint stuff here and there has been MUCH appreciated and really necessary.
The changes are good, and will allow us to serve you MUCH better.
Happy Memorial Day! Please come see us
