Wagyu beef restaurant to open at former 5 Spice property

A farmer and entrepreneur who raises wagyu beef cattle is bringing a restaurant to the Queen City.

Will Neal said an opening around Thanksgiving is targeted for Kobe Club Steaks at 2058 S. Glenstone Ave. The building formerly was used by 5 Spice China Grill, which closed this spring.

Neal, who is originally from the Corpus Christi area of Texas, said he's been raising wagyu beef cattle for 16 years, with operations in Holcomb and Seymour. Neal operates a company called Neal Meats LLC, which has a beef and pork processing plant in Seymour, and he said his Kobe Club online membership service and shop have been featured on SiriusXM radio and Fox News. Kobe Club has sold to customers in all 50 states and Canada, he said.

At Kobe Club Steaks in Springfield, steaks and burgers sourced from Neal's operation would be on the menu, as would Gulf Coast seafood shipped in from the Gulf of Mexico, pizzas with ingredients sourced from Italy and non-wagyu steaks, among other options, Neal said.

"We try to do everything in-house. With my business, only about 11% of food costs went through food service in the last project we did," Neal said, calling Kobe Club Steaks "real farm to table."

"If we can't do it in-house, we probably won't do it."

Neal said he operated an eatery under the Kobe Club name in Seymour for around eight months before closing it to make way for the Springfield restaurant plans. The space in Seymour has been leased for a Mexican restaurant from separate owners.

"I felt like we needed to learn the business first," Neal said. "Springfield has always been a proving ground for new concepts, so we're bringing our concept here with that in mind."

A future goal, he said, would be to expand the concept with additional locations.

Estimating startup costs for the Springfield restaurant at roughly $250,000, Neal said the former 5 Spice space "needed a complete revamping." He said he signed a five-year lease with a purchase option for the 2,800-square-foot building for undisclosed terms with the Tan brothers, the restaurateurs who operated 5 Spice and have other ventures in town, including Ocean Zen.

Renovations are slated for completion in two to three weeks, Neal said. A chef has been hired, and the licensing work with the city must be completed, he added.

"We'll be ready to go whenever they give us the green light," Neal said, noting the restaurant would have a dining area with seating for around 94 people.

The words “King of Beef” have been installed on the exterior of the building, and Neal said that’s a tagline used by Kobe Club in marketing materials.

Earlier this month, there were reports of a fire at 5 Spice on social media. Bryan Newberry, assistant chief of operations for the Springfield Fire Department, this morning clarified that a shed behind the former 5 Spice restaurant caught fire and not the restaurant building itself. He said the incident is still under investigation.