Scout Hall Opens New Restaurants, Boutique in Downtown Cape Girardeau: Let the Good Times Roll

What started in the early 1900s as a department store turned movie theater turned newspaper building is now a destination block with the opening of Scout Hall. Three restaurants — an authentic woodfire stove Italian haven named SPECK, an Omakase sushi experience and a true American diner with Kenny’s Flippin burgers — set the table for a unique culinary experience. The fashion-forward women’s boutique Brickwood completes the floor-to-ceiling glass storefronts on Broadway. All are open for business.

Six apartments on the second floor bring a high-end lifestyle to downtown, available to rent in January 2023. And soon to open in 2023 is the indoor and outdoor multi-use stages and venue space that will light up downtown Cape. Its namesake, Scout Hall, is inspired by local developer Rust Communications and The Scout, a daily email newsletter of good news aimed at connecting members of Southeast Missouri.

Scout Hall, the newest destination in downtown Cape, opens for adventure. The party’s just getting started.

Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

“[The new Brickwood storefront] is more of a gathering place — that’s what I’ve noticed being open these past couple of months. Because we’re surrounded by restaurants and that’s a place for family and friends to gather, Brickwood’s kind of been a gathering place where more people run into each other, and they’ve gotten to kind of catch up that way. It’s a place to hang out and shop, and especially with the venue [that will be opening up in Scout Hall], I think that’s just going to add that element of gathering, as well.” — Christen Edmonds, Brickwood owner

Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

"It is my goal that my guests feel that they have traveled outside of Cape as soon as they walk through my doors. Then, take them through a culinary journey with my food and knowledge of where the food they ate came from." — Angel Carrasquillo, sushi chef and Omakase owner

Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

“I want [customers] to just enjoy the menu. Some of the names, we did that to create a conversation starter. To get people laughing and talking about things they normally wouldn’t talk about or engage in as far as those conversations. … Our family works in [this restaurant], so family is a big deal. So that’s very important. Anything that can start that conversation out there is worth it to us. That’s a win. We try to be different.” — Jesse Stuart, Kenny's Flippin Burgers co-owner

Photo by Aaron Eisenhauer

“My [restaurant] concept is open. People love to see the oven as a centerpiece of the space. The bar is in the middle, the gelato. So it’s very inviting for everybody, doesn’t matter the age … kids, adults like it. [I hope people connect with] the freshness and the authenticity of what we do with the pizza, the pizza dough. The show, I call it. It’s a little show. People like to see the show. They’re enjoying it. … We’re going to have a little bit of fun in this building.” — Gabriele Ruggieri, Speck owner