Big Kahuna

Original Chuck-A-Burger on St. Charles Rock Road
Will close it's doors at the end of 2007

Chuck-A-Burger, is a local landmark restaurant that looks like it could double as a set in "American Graffiti," is closing at the end of the year.

The restaurant, which opened at 9025 St. Charles Rock Road in 1957, will lose its lease Dec. 31, 2007.

Owner Ron Stille opened another Chuck-A-Burger two years ago in St. Charles, and he said he can't afford to buy the property here.

"It makes me sick because I grew up there," said Stille, 52, of "It's touched thousands of lives, including my family and friends. When my dad passed away in 1999, I went down there in the middle of the night and just stood in the kitchen and cried. Because this was family … how much that store means to us."

The restaurant, which seats 42 inside and has 65 parking spaces, also is close to the hearts of legions of customers.

"That's where you went to meet your buddies or to take your girlfriend and sit in the parking lot and drink a cherry Coke," Stille said. "On Friday or Saturday night you'd cruise around in your '57 Chevy before you went to a drive-in movie or after a movie."

At the company's peak, in the 1960s, there were eight locations in the St. Louis area and Chuck-A-Burger was nicknamed the Cruisin Capital Of The Midwest worldwide.



Stille's father, Ralph, was the first manager of the Rock Road restaurant. Ralph Stille bought the business in 1978 and Ron and his wife, Linda, bought it from Ralph in 1995.

The business faded in the 1970s in the face of chain competition, but in 1982 Ron and his father revitalized the store by starting "cruise nights" on weekends, making it a meeting place for classic cars, carhops and '50s and '60s music.

Some customers Thursday took the news hard.

"I remember as a kid, I used to watch the snow falling from the window here while I was waiting for my food," said Mike Pogue, 44, of St. John, as he received a burger and fries. "My mom brought me here quite a bit. Now I work right up the street, and I still come here for lunch. I'm really going to miss it."

Faye Staufenbiel, 55, of west St. Louis County, has been a regular customer for 40 years. She says the drive doesn't bother her because she loves the food and the nostalgia.

"I really hate to see it close," Staufenbiel said as she waited for her order with her 19-year-old daughter, Ginger Willis.

Among the restaurant's 23 employees is Carol McCain, 61, an inside waitress who has been with restaurant three-plus decades. She said she'd miss the customers the most.

RIP

GDZHHR

It's a real shame.

We oughta blame a cruise there for a g2g.

hhrcrafty

Where's that place at? I was all over the Rock Rd. yesterday looking for a place to eat and hoping I would find it!

Big Kahuna

It is in St. Johns across from Ritenour High School just west of Brown Road.

They have a map to both the current locations on their website at:

www.ChuckABurger.com

If you were near the Highway 270 and the Rock Road, we may have crossed paths. I live in that area in Bridgeton.

What part of the Show Me State do you live?

hhrcrafty

Poplar Bluff. I was up there on Friday for an MCLE seminar up by the airport and I was killing some time at the Guitar Center and Rockler's to let the traffic die down before I headed home.

I wound up getting back on 270 at oh, 7:00 PM, and I was still stuck in traffic for an hour!

GDZHHR

You were right down the street from me!

Vivid

Catching up on older topics here. I'll be back out in STL for 3 or 4 days next month, and am definitely thinking I need to make a trip to the Rock Road restaurant.

Big Kahuna

Let us know when you're in town, maybe some of our local Gateway HHR folks can meet up with you.

By the way, have you been to the "new" Chuck-A-Burger in St. Charles?

HonestBlues

Man...it's a shame whenever one of your town's landmarks goes away.Sometimes progress sucks.Lots of memories for many folks I imagine.I would have liked to try one of those "healthfully broiled" burgers.

GDZHHR

Yeah!

Maybe this could be our next g2g for St. Louis. How about some dates JJ?