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Friday: How A St. Louis Official Wants To Bridge The Class, Racial Divide With A $10/Hour Open Bar

St. Louis on the Air
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This interview will be on “St. Louis on the Air” over the noon hour Friday. This story will be updated after the show. You can listen live.

An open bar at an affordable price in a hip area offering quality drinks and an accommodating atmosphere might seem like too much to ask for. But a St. Louis city official says he’s offering just that. 

The city’s recorder of deeds, Michael Butler, says he noticed that segregation in the St. Louis goes beyond housing and school districts. Even bars are divided in terms of race and class. 

So Butler drew upon his party organizing skills from his college days and founded Open Concept — a Cherokee Street bar where patrons pay $10 an hour for access to batched cocktails on draft, beer, and wine. He promises there is no catch — no skimping on alcohol or cups filled to the rim with ice. 

Butler will join host Sarah Fenske on Friday’s St. Louis on the Air to share how the idea for Open Concept came about and discuss the potential pitfalls of this new idea for St. Louis bar service. 

Have a question or comment about Open Concept? Tweet us (@STLonAir), send an email to talk@stlpublicradio.org or share your thoughts via our St. Louis on the Air Facebook group, and help inform our coverage.

St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan, Alexis Moore and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is Aaron Doerr and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

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