St. Louis rapper Nelly
and his St. Lunatics crew will open a new bar and grill in August in Hazelwood.
The new restaurant,
called Mack’s Bar and Grill, was originally slated for an April opening but
was pushed back because the rappers were waiting for Mack’s manager, Tony Powell,
to finish his work as a chef and manager at Azio, an Italian restaurant in Atlanta.
As a result of
the delay, the Hazelwood City Council is expected to extend a special land-use
permit for Mack’s next month, according to city officials.
The restaurant,
which takes its name from the first letters of theowners’ names – Murphy Lee,
Ali, Slodown, Kyjuan and Cornell, Nelly’s first name, is now scheduled to open
August 10 at 6827 Howdershell Road.
Powell is confident
Macks’s will become a staple in Hazelwood’s food community.
"I am very
excited about this," Powell told the St. Louis Post Dispatch. "I
am pretty sure this will go smooth. St. Louis seems to support bars."
Mack’s is the
latest nonmusical venture for Nelly, who also owns a clothing line and is part
owner of the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats basketball team.
The 3,500 square
foot eatery will hold 150 people and seat 74. It will also contain several televisions
that will mostly show sports programs, said Powell, who expects Mack’s to become
a popular establishment because of its high-profile owners.
The group got the
idea to open the restaurant from St. Lunatic member Ali, said Mike Chaffin,
Nelly’s business manager.
The facility’s
walls will be decorated with items and pictures of the Nelly and the St. Lunatics
as well as items from St. Louis sports teams – the Cardinals, Rams and Blues.
