BillyG's Finer
Diner

Client
William Gianino Jr.
Location
Chesterfield, MO
Completion date
August 2023

A place with a new nostalgia concept offering a 70s-era, Quenton Tarantino-Palm Springs kind of vibe within a classic diner type experience. 

Building on the success of Billy G's Kirkwood restaurant (the "neighborhood's living room") in Kirkwood, Missouri, the Gianino family was offered a second location in nearby Chesterfield. RDG Planning & Design helped them conceptualize a new brand offshoot, Billy G's Finer Diner, hoping to provide a nostalgic "neighborhood's kitchen" experience and expand on the successful brunch business they'd built at the Kirkwood location. 

The team decided on a classic diner concept, reimagined in a contemporary way, referencing the 1970s and 1980s (as opposed to the 50s / 60s era). This new nostalgia concept pairs elements of a classic diner (chrome diner door with capsule glass window, counter with built-in swivel stools, plenty of large booths, abundant plants and custom neon). The unique R-shaped space is connected via a 63-foot curved diner and bar counter, which follows the clock from full barista to full bar, updated in quartz, but with a classic chrome edge. The fixed swivel barstools evoke the diner era, updated for the contemporary patron with purse hooks and phone chargers. 

A 24-foot-long custom digital photo mural printed on a nanopolymer substrate complements the many live plants in the space, which features terrazzo-look LVT floors, rec room paneling with a classic Atari shrine, latch-hook rugs and custom printed suspended plaid acoustic felt ceiling elements. Booths in a variety of styles - circular, u-shaped and long capsule - are arranged throughout the space. As another nod to the era, waiting benches replicate muscle car seats, and quilted booth seats feature Harley Davidson orange piping details. The kitchen area features a custom chef's table built from a walnut tree harvested from the Gianino family farm, a memorial to Bill Gianino, Sr., who passed away during the project's construction.