ST. CHARLES – Rebecca Stobierski loved – and still loves – the warm, cozy downtown space she chose for her first restaurant, Rx Cafe.
Repairs to a structural failure next door, however, made the 113 W. Main St. building uncomfortable for customers as the smells, noises and other aspects of construction interfered with their dining experience, she said.
With business slowed to the point of not breaking even, she said, Rx Cafe decided to close. It served its last customers on Jan. 28.
Rx Cafe would have celebrated two years in business this month.
"It was a very bright candle that burned for a very short time," Stobierski said.
Equipped with only a microwave, panini press and oven, Rx Cafe offered soups, salads, sandwiches and quiche for lunch and a tapas menu for dinner. It attracted a "foodie" following as well as vegetarians and vegans, she said.
"To not do bar food was always a challenge," Stobierski said, noting a high percentage of the general draw wanted pub fare.
She hasn't ruled out opening another restaurant, but with five years and all of her savings invested in Rx Cafe, Stobierski said it will take time for her to rebuild her capital.
She hopes her next restaurant will have a full kitchen and said it likely will have a different name. Rx Cafe – a name intended to reflect the healthiness of the menu – confused people, who often mistook the restaurant for a pharmacy, she said.
Donna Steele of Steel Beam Theatre, which is above Rx Cafe, said she is sorry whenever any business closes and described the restaurant's ownership as cooperative and generous.
Steele wanted to make clear the theater hasn't been affected by the structural failure at 117 W. Main St.
The building, which houses Szechwan Restaurant, was damaged in August when two columns failed.
According to the city's Economic Development Department, the building should reopen this spring.
