Mille's, Coyote's cafes closing downtown

Restaurateur David Bauer is closing his downtown operations.

Mille's Cafe and Coyote’s Adobe Cafe & Bar, which operate out of 9,300 square feet of shared space at 309 S. Jefferson Ave., will shut their doors to the public Feb. 1, said Bauer, who co-owns the restaurants with his wife, Karen.

The flagship Coyote’s restaurant, 1742 S. Glenstone Ave., and the seasonal Coyote’s Dockside in Kimberling City will remain open. David Bauer said he sold his Nixa location, 807 N. Main St., over a year ago to longtime employee Mark Robinson.

“It comes down to me wanting to get my life back. By being so spread out, I just felt like I wasn’t doing my best everywhere,” Bauer said of his decision to close the downtown restaurants. “I’ve been working 80 to 100 hours a week for years.

“I’m gonna only work like 60 hours a week. That’s like a vacation,” he added with a laugh.

The Bauers, who own the downtown real estate under Lakebuds LLC, added the Coyote’s brand to their 15-year-old Mille’s property in February 2013.

Working with the 25 downtown employees to transition them after the closure, David Bauer said eight would move to the Glenstone restaurant, bringing its employee count to about 26, three would finish their college careers and others would take jobs elsewhere.

“We just basically sat down and tried to discuss where we want to go, how we want to get there,” he said. “Everyone’s pretty much taken care of.”

Bauer said he listed the 0.25-acre Jefferson Avenue property on the market a couple weeks ago for sale at $950,000 or for lease at $7,500 per month. Bauer said he would prefer to rent the property to someone who would bring in a fresh concept.

“I don’t foresee the building sitting there very long because I’ve already had interest in it,” he said. “I don’t want to turn it (over) to somebody that’s going to just use it, abuse it and watch it die.”[[In-content Ad]]