ST. LOUIS — Steve’s Hot Dogs has opened a new location in south St. Louis near Tower Grove Park.
The new spot opened at 3145 South Grand Boulevard on Friday.
In the year 2020, such a move may not have seemed possible. 2020 was a time of survival for Steve Ewing, owner of Steve’s Hot Dogs.
“A great learning experience for me,” Ewing told 5 On Your Side.
He learned how to endure.
“How much of a pounding you can take during some really tough times,” said Ewing.
He faced a tough time in February of last year. The business wasn’t making money and shut its doors. But thanks to an outpouring of support from the community, the closure was brief.
“People can be really, really good. People can step up,” he said.
But just as Steve’s Hot Dogs was getting back on its feet, the global pandemic hit. He described it as “scary.” So, he went into survivor mode for his business and for his community.
“It was a lot of uncertainty and there’s mouths to feed,” he said.
Ewing came to the rescue for his neighbors by starting the #feedthepeople program.
“Anybody who came in asking for food, it didn’t matter where you know what your situation was, he gave it to you,” he explained.
Ewing was able to give because people gave donations. They received $25,000 from the #eatitforward program. The #platingchange initiative gave them $20,000. The money has helped them feed a lot of people.
“We’re over 4,000 meals we’ve given out,” said Ewing.
After paying it forward, he is now looking forward to the new place.
“Things have gone from here to here in a year and a half,” he said.
He calls his restaurant a “neighborhood business.” He also believes that being there for his neighbors may be one of the reasons for his recent good fortunes.
“Once you get out there and do what you feel you need to do, you learn that it does come back to you,” Ewing explained.
The restaurant opens at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday.