SPEAKER_01 0:00

Then for me personally, uh, I was dairy bartending a long time ago when uh when I was a younger guy, and and that's where I met my wife at when I was a dairy bartender. So shout out to my wife, Dana, right? I didn't know that. That's a gem. Yeah, that's awesome. It's uh it's the power of a Mississippi float, gets you married for 34 years.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

If you wanna hear about Saint Louis, tune into the bucket list show weekly, hear what Marissa and Luke say. It drops every Wednesday, got a dope new guest every single week. Buckle up for the ride. Who's it gonna be? Who's on the show today? They rap Saint Louis. What to do in the loo on a late night, and maybe what to do on a date night. Yeah. Bucket list as you covered, they know what's going on. What's going on? They'll give you. Hey, eighteen different things to do on 19. If you need one more to choose, yeah. The city, city, city is a place we call home. A place we call home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

St. Louis, welcome back to another episode of the STL bucket list show, highlighting the people, places, and events that make St. Louis special. We have one of those people in the studio today that is a St. Louis staple. Um, but before we get into it, I want to shout out um Julia in the back on the ones and twos, cutting up every episode every single week. Um we get to talk to local entrepreneurs, local creators, and local people making St. Louis move. Um but without further ado, uh, we have owner, founder of Fitz's, everybody on the podcast, they've heard of you guys, they've had your products before, but we have Michael Alter in the studio, owner, founder of Fitz's. Thank you so much for coming into the studio today.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

Luke, pleasure to be here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Um we've been working together for a little bit. I've been, you know, working with your team and getting to kind of experience what you guys have been doing. We had the honor to do the bucket list menu, which was a really fun collab. Um, but we have some new products. If you guys are watching on YouTube, um, we have the club soda, we have the tonic water, um, and we have the zero calorie tonic water as well. So before we get into you know, the story of fences, I wanted to kind of shout some of these new products. So tell me kind of what went into this and what you're so excited about about these products.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Well, super excited. It was uh a long time in development. Um, getting everything right um takes a lot of time and effort. Uh things are a little different in today's uh universe, business-wise, uh everything has much longer time frame, lead times. So complications that you know were always part of the game are now just more complicated. Uh so it took a little bit more time than I would have wanted, but the end results are not great. So I'm thrilled that that they're finally out to market.

SPEAKER_03 2:37

Yeah, I'm drinking um the club soda right now, crispy, um fresh glass bottle, which is awesome to have the glass bottle. It's a little bit of a smaller bottle than your other your other sodas, so it's a 9.13 ounce bottle. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Yeah. So we have a great glass partner, um, and they were willing to design and produce a custom bottle for us. So um that is a 9.3 ounce bottle, uh, with different than our our normal 12-ounce bottle. But uh yeah, we're super, super excited about how the packaging came out.

SPEAKER_03 3:10

So Fitz is has been and and became one of the most iconic brands in St. Louis. Um, you know, when people think of our city, they think of you guys. And what was that story, you know, and what what's your story behind bringing Fitz's back and turning it into what it is today?

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Well, that's probably you know, an hour right there. I mean, uh, you know, I think it really you got you you got to go back from uh start at the beginning, I suppose, like any business. So uh, you know, Fitz's was a collaboration amongst three people. Um, Alan and Tom were my original partners in Fitz's uh when we restarted it in uh 1992. Uh Fitz's history, you know, predated me. Uh, you know, if you look in our bottles, it says since 1947. Although I might feel like I'm from 1947, I'm not. And so all of this stuff uh, you know, that predated me, you know, as part of Fitz's legend lore. I've heard so many different stories from so different so many different people. It's kind of hard to know exactly what happened. But Fitz's was a drive-in restaurant uh located at Clayton and Brentwood. And uh it was famous for a lot of things, root beer being one of them. And um so Fitz's is really a what originally was a nod to the Fitz's root beer that was served at that restaurant.

SPEAKER_03 4:34

Yeah, that's interesting. So when you guys, you know, took that brand over in 1992, you know, now we're looking at what I'm 30. I was born in 1995. So 33 years later that you've been at this, um, the brand has evolved in so many different ways. It's become so much more than just a restaurant, just a root beer, just a soda. You guys really have community. I mean, when I met your staff that have been there for so long, I mean, you guys have you've done so much. So, like what when you're building that, you know, from 1992, looking ahead 33, three, 33 years later, like what were some of those, you know, major wins that you guys had over the years that really, that really made you say, like, oh man, we're really building something special here.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Well, I think it'll really starts with the people who I've worked with. I know, you know, when when I'm in an environment like this talking about FITSIS, I think it's misleading to say, like, you know, hey, I did this and I did that. Uh fitzes is a team sport. Um, I've been uh really fortunate to work with a core group of people who are now my friends, who've been my friends for a long time, uh, who understood, you know, what we were trying to accomplish. You know, you know, we weren't that lofty in the beginning. We weren't thinking about 30 years, we weren't thinking about brand building. We were thinking that, you know, we have this really neat idea, and that idea really was the creation of a soda craft microbrewery. That was the genesis of of Fitz's, uh the restart of Fitzes, and we spent a lot of time and energy trying to, you know, develop that concept. And um, you know, I'm happy to share more of what went down all those years ago to really bootstrap us to where we are today.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

For over 150 years, SSM Health has been providing hope, healing, and opportunities to the St. Louis community. With over 40,000 employees across four states, they're not only delivering exceptional care, they're one of the region's largest employers, shaping the future of healthcare. We're proud to present SSM Health as the official healthcare partner of the STL bucket list show. If you've dreamed of a career where you're truly making a difference every day, SSM Health can help you take that to the next step. Learn more at their website in the link in the show notes. Yeah, so we gotta we gotta talk about the Del Mar loop a little bit. I mean, you guys have been a major anchor in the loop, uh, you, Joe Edwards, the vintage vinyl team. There's there's a few of you guys that have really kind of turned that neighborhood around. And what is that what has that meant for you to be able to see that neighborhood evolve so many different times to become one of the premier streets in in St. Louis?

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah, uh well, the loop has always been an attraction for me. I mean, uh uh the same attraction for me as for a lot of other folks who live in St. Louis. It is a diverse walking street. Yeah, you get to meet folks from all over the place, all different backgrounds, all different cultures, all different economic stories, and it creates a blend of energy that has always propelled the loop forward. And uh, you know, um, I've been involved in a loop since the beginning. I mean, I'm on the loop board, I've been on the loop board, I'm trying to get people to take over my spot on the loop board. But uh, you know, uh the the street is is part of our history. Uh it is unique, still unique in St. Louis. And in many ways, as St. Louis, you know, tries to find its footing, I think the the stability of what the loop offers is still super important for St. Louis.

SPEAKER_03 8:02

So I want to kind of talk about product a little bit more because I know that you're super passionate about product. So, you know, over the years, there's been growth in craft beer, there's been growth in canned cocktails, specialty soda, specialty drinks. How has Fitz's remained relevant in keeping that nostalgic identity? Because you guys are so true to what you guys do and continue to put out a very consistent product, even though the trends have changed over the years.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

It is a great question. I think the identity piece for Fitz is really hasn't changed all that much. Um when it has changed, it has been really mostly driven by collaborations, which are uh is really enjoyable for me. But I think, you know, uh we've always wanted to be a classic traditional soda company. You know, and uh uh no pun intended, but we stay true to our roots over the years. Uh, you know, outside the the new mixer line, most of our development has been, you know, on the on the craft soda side. Uh, you know, we use, you know, uh cane sugar, that's our claim to fame, at least one of our claims to fame, you know, as we develop our sodas. And I think we stay true to that. I I just kind of feel like, you know, that there's still space in the market for traditional products. They gotta be good. And we've always tried, you know, really hard to make sure that we're consistent in that uh so we don't waver from our from our from our our our formulations. You know, uh the the running joke at Fitz's is that you know uh um you know we use cane sugar and uh I would always uh I would always say like you know, my accountant suggests that we switch over to something else because cane sugar is so expensive. Yeah and you know, my response is oh, it's like we'll never do that, right? Because that's not who we are. Yeah. You know, it would it would change, it would change not only the flavor of what we do, because cane sugar is an important part of what we do, but it's it's an identity piece for me. It's an identity piece for us, you know. So we don't, you know, you can really taste the difference too.

SPEAKER_03 10:07

I mean my favorite's the orange soda. Um Hadley brought me some today, which is very nice. I'll probably drink all four of those this week. And yeah, but the cane sugar, it's that refresh when you want a soda, you want a soda. And we we had all talked about that before, is like they have all these different drinks and these different things that are going on. But at the end of the day, there's something about you know, sitting on the loop patio, drinking a soda, having a burger, having fries, and that nostalgia that you guys have created really in that in that neighborhood is has been special. But you mentioned the collaboration piece. Over the years, was there any specific collaborations that stood out to you of like, wow, like I can't believe we're collaborating with them or them? And I'm sure that happens all the time.

unknown 10:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

Yeah. Well, the collaboration, like I said, is is is an important piece of the puzzle for us simply because for me, it's always enjoyable to be around entrepreneurial folks who, you know, who want to sit at a table and and you know, really discuss, you know, uh opportunities, changes, improvements, uh, and collaboration is really a driver of that. So off the top of my head, things that have really helped me uh, you know, uh in terms of not only developing new products, but just you know, getting um uh a closer relationship with people who are making big, big, big changes, improvements in the St. Louis scene. You know, Caldies comes to mind. Um I'm friends uh with the ownership team there. Great people, uh really driven. Uh a lot of the things that makes Fitzes go, makes Caldies go. Um Fallon Brewery, we did a great collaboration with them on hard root beer. Uh that was a fun project. You know, hard root beer had it had its moment in time. Uh, you know, the world in the beverage industry is so different now. Just on and really hard root beer, I kind of look back at it, was kind of at the cutting edge edge of what was changing in in a marketplace. And then, of course, probably you know, one of the things that really was an eye catcher for me, which was our collaboration with the Arch. Yeah. You know, we produce a uh uh root beer that is branded with the Arch on it. And uh yeah, I mean that's certainly a highlight for me. Yeah. So and again, I got to to uh interact with with with with them. The arch is super, super important to you know, St. Louis, it's it's an identity piece for our city or our area. And so for Fitzis to connect down there was uh was was really great.

SPEAKER_03 12:33

And you guys are in that same category with the Gateway Arts. Like when people think of St. Louis, they think of Fitz's, they think of the Broadway oyster bars, they think of the places that have been here and have that nostalgic. Like if you go to all the tourism websites, you guys are all over, you know, and it's gotta be a special thing for you. But then one of the things that draws me to your guys' brand is the family-friendly element, is you can go into the restaurant with four generations of your family and everybody can have a good time. You know, there's not a lot of places that you can that you can do that in St. Louis. And I saw you interacting when we were there with kids. It seems like you enjoy like getting kids free floats and um and stuff like that. But what if I was gonna ask you if you if you had to work one position at the restaurant, what what would that be? If you just if you had to make a decision tomorrow and you're like, I have to only work this one position, do you have a good answer for that? It seems like front house to me.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Yeah, I I I do. I think I I think uh that would be um the dairy bar at Delmar, uh dairy bar South County as well, because it is kind of like ground zero in the Fitzges universe in the restaurant side. Yeah, you know, people come and and mingle there. And of course, you know, that's where we're pouring uh, you know, the bottomless mugs of root beer and making all the the the floats and you know, we got you to make one. Yes. Uh yeah, yeah, yeah. With a little work, you'll be there.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

But uh my ice cream scoops are a little small. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

You gotta really get in there and scoop those things. We we really go for the wow factor on those things. But you know, uh the dairy bar is is just uh it's just so full of energy. And it's a delightful place because you know, you can um you know you can see uh the smiles on people's faces where it is. And for me personally, uh I was dairy bartending a long time ago when uh when I was a younger guy, and and that's where I met my wife at when I was a dairy bartender. So shout out to my wife, Dana, right? I didn't know that story, yeah. That's a gym. Yeah, that's awesome. So it's the power of a Mississippi float, gets you married for 34 years.

SPEAKER_03 14:31

Wow. That's so you guys, what was that 1991, 1992?

SPEAKER_01 14:35

I met we met in '93. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_03 14:38

That's incredible. So for those that are looking for a job and a wife, they can work the dairy bar. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

There's something going on there.

SPEAKER_03 14:47

Yeah. No, it is cool, but there's something special about giving somebody something that good too. Is like, hey, like, look how first of all it's the wow factor, but then it's the glass that it's in, the heavy jar, the three, four scoops of ice cream on top, the caramel chocolate, everything that really goes into making it. Um, is uh and then seeing what I thought was really cool was seeing them walk upstairs with like 10 of them. Yeah, I was like, no way I would I ever do that. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Yeah, to this very day, it's a show stealer. Yeah. I mean, whatever you're doing in a restaurant, when you when you see a server, you know, walking around with 10 floats on a tray, those super floats, uh, yeah, people will turn and take a look at that and marvel at the floats. And I think marvel at the skill that a server can actually walk around a crowded restaurant and uh get those floats to a table. Yeah, and upsteps too. Sometimes too, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:34

The STL bucket list show is fueled by Upshot Coffee. My friends at Upshot Coffee have some of the best beans in town. I got some of their new packaging here. Look at this bag. Look how big this is. Um, they have four St. Louis locations, their flagship in Coddleville, the break shop over by Lindenwood in St. Charles, their Clayton location called Hi-Fi, um, and then Flyby over in Tower Grove, their newest location. Um, and they also sell their coffee online everywhere. If you guys haven't added Upshot Coffee to your STL bucket list, it's time to try it. Some of the my favorite people in the industry and some of the best coffee in the game. So I want to talk about leadership a little bit because you've you've obviously, you know, you've evolved this brand for 33 years. And I think a lot of people that listen to our show are also entrepreneurs as well. And it's like, you know, they might be in year five, six, you know, we're in your, we're going into year seven with our business. And it's like we dream of being a brand that lasts for 30, 40 years because, you know, you're doing something right, but you're also taking punches, rolling with everything that comes up the ups and downs. You guys have been through a lot of world-changing things over the last 33 years. But like, is there any specific leadership lessons that that you've learned that would help other younger entrepreneurs that to be able to be able to stay in the game for 33 years?

SPEAKER_01 16:46

Yeah, uh, uh, uh, yeah. You know, when I met you uh and we talked about your business, you know, there's a commonality that a lot of entrepreneurs share, which is a really it starts with a passion of uh for what they what they're doing, a belief that what they're doing has value, not only value to a consumer or wherever their target audience is, target market is, but it has value to the person that's doing it. It has value to me. So for over over the years I've done Fitz's, I mean I I I appreciate what I do. I feel really fortunate uh to be able to have done something for so long uh because I've enjoyed it so much. Um and that doesn't mean every day's been a good day. Uh, you know, uh you know that you know running a business has a lot of challenge, challenges to it. Uh each business has, you know, some challenges that we can share, meeting with other entrepreneurs. But the startup phase is, you know, I mean, it's you know, passion is the fire really that gets it going.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

And, you know, you gotta continue, you know, uh, you gotta continue to have that passion, although your passion, you know, does evolve. It does change, you know, because the mission of what you're doing is changing. For Fitz is, you know, the marketplace is changing. And now, uh, you know, in the new modern world, it's changing really rapidly. You know, so you know, how do you so the question as an entrepreneur is, you know, how do you how do you stay relevant? You know, what is special about what you do? And then of course the other element of it is we don't do it by ourselves. Right. You know, if you don't have the right team of people that share the same vision, the culture, uh, goals that you have, I mean, it can't work. You know, uh it won't work. And and to me, you know, you're cheating yourself uh about the success of your business if you're not really able to sit down and share your beliefs with other people, cultivate their interests in in what you're trying to do, and know that uh know that you can't get there, whatever there is, you can't get there unless you have a committed team of people that share your vision and and help you shape your vision. You know, things change, things are constantly changing. So we evolve, we talk all the time, and it's been easier for me because I've been lucky because the the people I work with have I've had, you know, I've been honored that I've been working with them for a long, long time and I learned from them.

SPEAKER_03 19:21

Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. And especially in a restaurant scene, because it's you guys have a lot of people, you know. So it's from the leadership team all the way down to the part-time high school student that works there. It's like that culture has to be able to go through that building because those those high school students and those young kids are the the first impression of guests sometimes. For sure. You know, and that's the beautiful thing about what you guys are doing, is you know, you it's a lot of people's first jobs. I'm sure you have a lot of cool stories about that.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

Yeah. Uh, you know, so we're just about to enter summer season, which is our busiest time of year uh at South County and uh in the loop. And so every year I you know we have a team meeting, it's our only team meeting where everybody is is is there and uh we go over the basics of uh of uh you know uh how you run fitz during a very, very busy time. And uh same story that I tell for all these years is that number one is that um you know I get to see people and meet people who have worked at Fitzis for, you know, a long time. Some have gone to be lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs themselves, and I get to interact with them years later, and that's always a thrill for me, you know, to catch up with them. And over the years there have been a lot of folks that did that. And then on the other side, to your point, was I, you know, I I get to interact with with young people. Some of them, this is their first job. You know, and and again, the world is very different. Everybody's on their phones, everybody wants to, you know, check out, you know, what's going on right now. So uh, you know, trying to come cultivate an interest with them and explain, you know, kind of what what's going on uh and interacting with them is is is really enjoyable. Yeah. Uh many of them will come up and you know, ask for, you know, how does this work? What do we do? And you know, uh some of that uh yeah, that interaction is always always fun for me, and because I never know who the next great person is gonna be because there are so many great people that started as, hey, I'm a server.

SPEAKER_03 21:30

And then they come back years later with their family, and and now you get to see their kids, and it's like this this cycle, and you guys get to work with your family. Like there's something like really special about building a family business, and it's like when it's fitzes and you have such a recognizable name. Like if you asked ever like I don't even know if we took a poll of a hundred thousand people in St. Louis, like I'm pretty sure ninety-nine thousand of them would know who you guys are, and that's pretty cool to have something like that.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Uh yeah, I I I don't think of it in terms of that way, but yeah, I do I do appreciate. It every day. Yeah. You know, I mean, when I see somebody drinking a root beer or buying a soda, you know, it's really a great experience for me. You know, in the old days, you know, I would I would be in the supermarket and I would see somebody, you know, having a four-pack of Fitz's root beer in her cart. And I would go over there and introduce myself and and say, like, you know, uh, really appreciate you supporting our local business and and and try to interact with them because I enjoy that.

SPEAKER_02 22:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 22:33

And I did that up until the point that somebody thought I was a creep and I shouldn't be coming over and talking to them in a supermarket. So I stopped doing that.

SPEAKER_03 22:40

No, I would do the same thing. I mean, that's that's like you're just kind of walking the aisle, you're spinning the cans to make sure they're all straight on the aisle and being like, you know, but since I've been working with you guys, I've noticed like now I I see it and I'm like, oh, it's there, it's oh, it's there, it's there. It's like you kind of just see it randomly all throughout these little these places, and it's like how your brand expands even outside of St. Louis and The STL bucket list show is proudly sponsored by Suede Dispensary with 11 Missouri area locations. Suede does so much for the St. Louis community. We've been working with this team for a couple of years back since Medical was here, and we're excited to support their new product launches, events, and community initiatives. We couldn't be happier to work with this premier cannabis brand, and we're excited for them to sponsor the show. Enjoy the rest of the podcast. So I know we're kind of we talked about the future a little bit with these new products. So, like, where was the motivation there to kind of evolve into a new product? Like, obviously, you guys have done, you know, your sodas for a long time. This was something new. Like, how walk us through the process of that? Like, how long do those conversations start before anything like this even gets into a shelf?

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Well, the the mixer project really had been on my mind for a long time. I would say predated COVID, you know, uh the COVID experience for Fitz's and a lot of other businesses, you know, I mean, had derailed a lot of plans and and you know, we had a pivot and make sure that we were just concentrating on the things to, you know, to to pivot us and get through, you know, a challenging environment. And then of course now we're in a post-car post-COVID challenging environment. Um, but so that that, like I said earlier, that that kind of delayed the process. But you know, as Fitzis has evolved on the soda side, you know, there, you know, we you know it was never my intention to have, you know, 21 flavors of FITSIS. You know, um uh so that happened, you know, organically. You know, a lot of our retail customers, you know, uh requested you know that we develop that way. We had a lot of people inside our building that requested us to to to to develop that way. And quite frankly, it's it's a lot of fun to do it. And we have the ability to do it and we did it. And so just over a long period of time, we ended up with a lot of different flavors. Uh and you know, in St. Louis, you know, it's not, you know, it's Fitz's root beer, right? That's what um people will call us at and know that the root beer is, you know, an identity piece for us. But, you know, outside Greater St. Louis, uh, where the Fitz's root beer tradition isn't that established, you said it earlier, you know, you like Fitz's Orange. So people have gravitated to their own personal favorites, and uh, we moved on that way. The tonics really were were were were were developed, or the mixers really were developed as a way to kind of reach you know our our traditional consumer who maybe be a little bit on you know older, who wanted a um, you know, have an alcoholic beverage, you know, with with our products. Uh but the the the the curious thing is that over the years is now people are drinking tonics without without any alcohol. They're drinking the club sodas without any alcohol. So uh I think we're I think the timing turned out to be pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 25:55

Yeah. Yeah, no, absolutely. I can't wait to uh bring one of these back, you know, with some gin, throw a little lime in there and have a nice little GNT. I mean, we were just at the pool yesterday, we had a nice weather day yesterday for for the holiday. But like you mentioned, like there's so many different ways. Like we're sipping one right now, just a club soda, and it's just a nice zero calorie tree, a little carbonation in it, and you know, it's really, really, really good. And love the bottles. I I love that you went with glass, you know, and I love that you know how they're gonna look on a shelf. So you're selling these at a four-pack. So, you know, they'll be able to grab a four-pack and then you can pop one, keep the others and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Another, another exciting piece to this and a real driver, an exciting part for for me and Hadley who put this all together was our collaboration with four hands. You know, uh, they got a great team of people. Uh, it's been fun for us to interact with them. We've done a lot of cool things with them already. We've done Citywide Soda. Yes, I was. You know, which was which was really the start of the collaboration, and that was so fun. It kind of just flowed into like, hey, you know, uh uh Origin June is out there. It's uh a favorite of mine. And so it just became a natural fit for us to to work with them. And and it's it it's exciting.

SPEAKER_03 27:04

Yeah, no, it's really cool. So I want to kind of talk about St. Louis a little bit. It is the STL bucket list show. We talk about our favorites of St. Louis. So I know you've been in the scene and you've you've experienced all these things. What are you some of your bucket list spots in St. Louis? Outside of Fitz's. We we already know Fitz's is on your bucket list.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:21

Um, but when you're out enjoying it, is there any other specific restaurants that you love to enjoy? Hidden gems, events, parks, anything like that that really make you love St. Louis?

SPEAKER_01 27:29

Well, yeah. I'll go uh I'll go to the restaurant side first. Uh Sasha's is a great place. Uh I love hanging out there. My family loves hanging out there, just a great environment. Uh, we share a lot of the cultural values together. They do an awesome job. Uh having a glass of wine on Sasha's deck is, you know, hard to beat, you know, overlooking, overlooking the park there and uh the vibe there is is awesome. So uh we're there a lot. My family, like I said, is there a lot. So that's a if you haven't checked that place out, you should that's that's terrific. And then um big fans of uh Louis. Uh Matt McGuire uh is somebody who I've grown to know uh and appreciate for a number of years. I always tell Matt that uh um you know part of Fitz's success story, you know, started with him. You know, Matt was down at King Louis, is a you know, and uh was a great restaurant. And uh he put Fitz's Rupier Float on his menu. And that was in the early days. And I think that in those days I was actually not only making Fitz's soda, you know, bottling it, but I then would I would bottle it and then put it in a truck and then I would deliver it. And delivering it to Matt was one of my jobs. And of course, you know, interacting with him. We were obviously, you know, in different parts of our life, we're both starting up, but he's uh yeah, he's he's a great guy, and his uh Louis's is is just a terrific place to go.

SPEAKER_03 28:59

Yeah, his restaurants are great. I was uh his his grocery store is really cool too. Boxhill. Oh yeah, boxhill, yeah. I just went to Wrights for my birthday a little bit ago in like unbelievable service. And it's just this different experience. You feel like you're just getting transported, you know. But yeah, Matt, Matt's awesome. So you're so you're you're at Sasha's for wine and then you you sneak down and go sit at Louie. Yeah, Louis.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

I like I like to go to Wrights. I mean, you know, uh Matt has has put Fitz is in Box Hill, so you know that's a real treat for us to see it there.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

But uh yeah, I I like all yeah, those are and those are those are some of my favorites. Of course, Forest Park is everything. Yes, it's it's an incredible jewel in of St. Louis, and I'm in the park as uh, you know, uh as much as time allows.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Yeah, no, that's awesome. Well, no, I appreciate you, you know, for sharing your story and and really coming onto the podcast to you know highlight what you guys are doing. Obviously, Fitz is, you know, a brand that when you think of STL bucket list, you think of brands like what you guys are doing. And it's been awesome to do the collab menu. Super awesome to get you on a podcast. First time since Google. So, you know, we're up there with with with uh Google and Jim and I. Uh, we're not gonna air this on the Super Bowl, but it'll be on YouTube, you know, and stuff like that. So it'll be it'll be special. But no, I appreciate your time and and appreciate you coming on. And um, we'll drop the website links and everything like that and and hopefully, you know, tell people where they can get these products because this is gonna come out I think that second week of June. So um, you know, we'll be able to really highlight. I uh I forgot what that exact date is. I think June 8th, June 9th, or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 30:25

Yeah, we should be in a storage uh actually June 1st. June 1st, yeah. So we're excited and decided to do that. You know, I really enjoyed the Google thing. This was fun, but the Google people uh let me keep the microphone. Is that is that doable? Oh, these ones, no.

SPEAKER_03 30:37

These are I can give you something. I but they let you keep the I know I saw that. You you you told me about that. Yeah, the microphone. Yeah, that's pretty unique that they let you keep the microphone.

SPEAKER_01 30:45

Yeah, I think it's just in the Google space. It's a little different than than than uh you know your small local uh small local business. Your small local business, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:52

Yeah, no, absolutely. Well, no, I appreciate it, Michael. Thank you for coming on, and uh St. Louis will see you guys next week. St. Louis, thanks for listening. Everything we do here is about telling the story of this city, and that doesn't stop with this show. On the Bucketlist Podcast Network, we're diving even deeper into the people, places, and moments that make this city what it is. Meet Me in Music with Neil Salsick captures the sound of the city, past and present, ending each episode with a live performance. For my foodie lovers, the sauce with Lauren Healy brings you inside the restaurants that define our culture every Tuesday. Gateway to Growth with Jamal Cornelius highlights the stories behind the people that make St. Louis work. And every Thursday, Bryce breaks down your weekend with This Week in St. Louis. More stories, more voices. Explore the full bucketless podcast network wherever you listen.