Cedar Street Restaurant closes to the public

Sunday was the last day of operations for Cedar Street Restaurant inside Drury Lodge at 104 Vantage Drive in Cape Girardeau.

Cedar Street Restaurant opened in 1981 and has become a Cape Girardeau institution over the years.

The restaurant closed to the public to offer free food and drinks to the hotel's guests, explained Alison Casler, director of training and communication in Drury's St. Louis office.

In February, all Drury Hotels instituted a new amenity called "The 5:30 Kickback" where hotel guests are served hot appetizers and cold beverages each evening. The rotating menu includes items like chicken tenders and meatballs.

Cape Girardeau's Drury Lodge was the only property owned by Drury with a restaurant inside and the only property not participating in "The 5:30 Kickback" program.

"We wanted to be more consistent and offer all our guests the same exact experience at all our hotels," Casler said.

* Area hospital earns accreditation: Southeast Missouri Hospital is the first hospital in Missouri and only the sixth nationwide to earn Heart Failure Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers.

"We provide our patients with more than episodic in-hospital care," said Monti Callow, Southeast's Chest Pain Center coordinator. "We partner with our patients and their families to help them understand their disease and empower them to take control of their care."

Southeast Missouri Hospital received full Cycle I Heart Failure Accreditation status from the Accreditation Review Committee on Feb. 9. The accreditation runs through Feb. 8, 2013.

The accreditation recognizes Southeast's close working relationship with ambulance services and its Emergency Services process used to receive and stabilize patients with heart failure, according to Dr. Jeffrey C. Umfleet, medical director of Emergency Services. Heart failure is a leading cause of death in the United States. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers is to help facilities manage the heart failure patient more efficiently and improve patient outcomes.

* New restaurant at Cozmo's site: Gyro King restaurant will open the first week of April at 1929 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau, the former location of Cozmo's Cafe & Cream. Restaurant owner Ahmed Saadi also owns the U Kwick Stop at 1700 Broadway.

Gyros are a Greek version of fast food. The sandwich includes grilled meats, veggies and yogurt sauce served on pita bread. The new restaurant's menu will feature several different salads and vegetarian dishes. Appetizers and soups also will be available.

Gyro King will be open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., except on Fridays and Saturdays when it closes at 11 p.m.

* Getting the right mix: Mixing 10 has opened in the former 2 North Bistro at 2 N. Main St. in Cape Girardeau.

Owners David and Stacy Creech recently purchased the business from Brad Robi and Jack Rickard. The name was inspired by the recent Olympic Games.

"Our slogan is Mixing 10 -- The Perfect Blend," David Creech said. "We'll have a mixture of people and a mixture of entertainment." He has operated Diamond Sound Systems for the past 25 years. Mixing 10 will have live music every weekend and well as karaoke. Happy hour special will be offered starting in mid-April.

In the future, Creech hopes to fire up the building's brick oven, serving pizza and other food items.

n Jackson accounting firm sets ribbon cutting: A ribbon cutting will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Cook & Hamlin, 2820 E. Jackson Blvd. The new accounting firm offers tax preparation, payroll services and bookkeeping.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Melissa Miller may be contacted at 388-3646 or mmiller@semissourian.com.<I>