Gotham Grill may have closed its lair last week, but the Batcave will soon return in a different downtown Jefferson City location.
Owner Anthony Stephens will relocate Gotham Grill - named after the fictional city where the superhero Batman lives - to 205 E. High St. He hopes to reopen the comic book-themed cafe by April 1.
Stephens opened Gotham Grill inside the Governor Office Building, at 200 Madison St., last September.
"We're not giving up," he said. "We're just trading Batcaves."
People often overlooked the "hidden gem" inside the Governor Office Building since it doesn't have street-front advertising, Stephens said. He was also restricted to the state office building's hours, meaning Gotham Grill was closed in the evenings, on the weekends and during state holidays.
The new location is in the heart of downtown Jefferson City.
"I have a little bit more chance to have my personality and more front exposure so that if you went by day or night, open or closed, you'll be able to see that we're here," Stephens said. "When you walk by the office building, if someone hadn't told you there was a comic book cafe in there, you wouldn't have known."
For now, Stephens plans to keep his current hours at the new location: 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday. He said he hopes to expand hours as the business grows in popularity.
The cafe will retain its "nerd haven" vibes by displaying comic books and figurines and naming menu items after superheroes and supervillains, he said. He plans to change a few things on the menu, like adding combination meals and expanding side options.
The kitchen itself will take up about the same amount of space as it did in the Governor Office Building, Stephens said, but the dining area will be smaller. He said he's not worried about the slash in dining space since he anticipates most customers will do carry-out.
Before he reopens Gotham Grill, Stephens has to make some improvements to 205 E. High St., such as to the plumbing and electrical systems.
While it most recently served as a small photography studio, the building at 205 E. High St. also housed clothing boutique Simply Chic until September 2018.
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