McArthur's Bakery in South County adds 2 concepts, reopens for front-of-house service

Iconic St. Louis bakery McArthur's Bakery has recently opened for front-of-house service again, along with unveiling two new concepts at its location in South County at 3055 Lemay Ferry Road. This month, McArthur's Bakery launched additional locations of The Pioneer Café and The Scoop inside the bakery. Until this month, McArthur's Bakery had continued to operate on the bake-to-order model the business adopted during the pandemic.

All three concepts are owned by Scott Rinaberger, with The Pioneer Café and The Scoop having met great success in their original locations in Kirkwood. Given that there are three concepts operating under one roof, the Lemay Ferry Road location offers ample space, with seating for 90 people, including two community-style tables available that can seat 10 guests each.

When it comes to baked goods selections, expect to find the cakes McArthur’s is known for, as well as Danishes, stollens and doughnuts, in addition to cheesecakes and, of course, gooey butter cake. According to Rinaberger, the bakery will offer baked goods that are made fresh daily, but once an item is sold out, it’s gone for the day. To celebrate the reopening of McArthur’s and the additional concepts, the bakery is offering one food item per person at 50% off for each visit until Labor Day.

If guests want to enjoy a meal in addition to picking up their favorite baked goods, The Pioneer Café offers an all-day breakfast and lunch menu weekdays along with weekend brunch. The menu, developed by chef Jason Longfield, includes the same items one can find at the Kirkwood location, such as breakfast dishes like short rib hash, cheddar-chive biscuits with sage gravy and quiches. The lunch offerings vary from a smash burger and chicken salad to turkey melts and salads. 

Breakfast, lunch and brunch aren’t complete without coffee or tea, and beverages include lattes, cold brew and nitro coffee in addition to chai, hot tea selections and iced tea. There are also cocktail options like mimosas, bellinis and bloody marys. 

Finally, the third concept, The Scoop, serves ice cream from Cedar Crest Ice Cream in several flavors ranging from vanilla to mint-chocolate chip and birthday cake, served in a cone or dish, or in a shake, sundae or cookie sandwich.  

According to a press release from McArthur’s, the chance to expand means more than customers having another location to purchase their favorite dishes or baked goods. The expansion is an opportunity to provide jobs for a group of adults that can often be overlooked in the job market. 

“While this is a win for our loyal customers, the bigger win is that I will be able to further pursue my efforts to create more competitive employment opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Rinaberger said in the release.

Unique to both The Pioneer Café locations is a joint effort between McArthur's Bakery and Lafayette Industries, a St. Louis-based organization that trains and employs adults with disabilities in packaging and warehouse work. Through this partnership, the café has implemented a training program that focuses on providing front-of-house and back-of-house skills for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

“We’re going on year three with the partnership with Lafayette Industries and helping adults with disabilities gain competitive employment in the restaurant industry,” Rinaberger said of the program.

McArthur’s Bakery and The Scoop are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Pioneer Café is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information, visit the bakery website or call 314.894.0900.