Fans of The Pasta House Co. have a few more days to get their fill, at least in Springfield. Joe Rupnik, who operates the restaurant at 2599 Wabash Ave., said Dec. 24 will be the last day for operations.
“I’ve been a licensee with The Pasta House Co. for more than 30 years,” he said. “I’ve been on a year-to-year, so my current license expires Dec. 31.” Citing his “large investment” at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Veterans Parkway, he said it was strictly a business decision to cease operating as The Pasta House Co. and become a franchisee for Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, a family-style sports pub based out of Florida.
“I’ve eaten at them for years,’ said Rupnik, who noted the company operates 142 locations in 17 states, including one in Bourbonnais, Illinois.
Rupnik said that after the closure on Dec. 24, he plans to “revamp the entire inside of the building” and be reopen by the end of January. The current staff will remain employed. “Every single employee will still have a job,” he said.
Rupnik described the Beef ‘O’ Brady concept as a “family sports pub, the word ‘bar’ is nowhere to be found,” he said. “I’m going to zero in on grade school and middle school sports, sponsor a lot of teams, do giveaways for youngsters that get good grades, read a book, that sort of thing.”
The menu will also include some of his signature items, such as the same horseshoes and chili served at The Dublin Pub, another restaurant venture that Rupnik has operated for many years.
In 2012, Rupnik closed The Pasta House Co. location at 2800 Southwest Plaza and sold the real estate to Quattro Development, which turned it into a four-unit retail center. However, Rupnik retained the license for The Pasta House Co. and reopened in 2018 at the current location after the Denny’s at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Veterans Parkway closed.
The Pasta House Co. was founded in St. Louis in 1974. The company has other 17 locations throughout Missouri and Illinois.
