WEST CONSHOHOCKEN >> Stella Blu may have closed her doors but her story is far from ending.
The iconic eatery named after a fictional doyenne of incomparable taste and sophistication is now operating as Virtual Stella Blu.
All that means is to recreate the Stella experience you supply the fine china and the chandeliers at home and Stella Blu will supply the food.
While its presence may be digital, the signature dishes like Lobster Mac ‘n Cheese and Parmesan Crusted Scallops that drew folks to its Ford Street location in West Conshohocken for more than 16 years are quite real and still prepared under the direction of executive chef Niphone Sihamountry.
“With food delivery services springing up everywhere, like GrubHub, Caviar and uberEATS, it’s a very big trend,” said Michael Golden, who co-owns parent company The Conshy Girls Restaurant Group with Kim Strengari and Marianne Gere. “People want to eat food from fine restaurants but in their homes. I have told all my partners that I felt we were missing out on sales that were curbside delivery or being delivered.”
Along with on-demand delivery of food from brick-and-mortar restaurants, the virtual restaurant trend has been growing as well, Golden noted.
“I experienced it first in Germany and London — restaurants that don’t actually have a physical location,” he said. “You see the menu online and you can order from it but it’s only for pickup or delivery. Some are only for delivery. To me that’s the best definition of a virtual restaurant.”
Stella Blu had been set to close on Jan. 27 but shut its doors the first week of January due to a burst water pipe, Golden explained.
“The owner had sold the building and our plan was that we would gracefully bow out,” he said. “It was a great business and over those years we have developed relationships with thousands of customers, many of whom have celebrated the milestones of their lives with us at Stella Blu. As word got around that we were closing, many customers said how much they would miss it. We wanted to keep running it, and we always planned that if we did close we would continue running it as a virtual restaurant. We’re really excited about this,” Golden added. “And the best part is that we’ll be able to expand Stella Blu to additional locations. We’re leveraging our existing restaurants, Gypsy Saloon (West Conshohocken), Southern Cross (Conshohocken) and Gypsy Blu (Ambler). We saw a great opportunity to keep Stella Blu alive, to fully utilize the kitchens at our other restaurants and tap into this huge demand.”
Delivery will be available daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the delivery radius extending from West Conshohocken to Conshohocken, parts of Gulph Mills, Bryn Mawr, Lafayette Hill and Plymouth Meeting.
To order via computer or smart phone, visit stellablurestaurant.com. Click on “Online Ordering” and note any special requests or modifications to the order. Add your choices to the cart and select the “pickup” or “delivery” option. There is a delivery fee of $4.99 and a delivery minimum of $15.
Those who prefer talking to a person can call 610-825-7060 to place an order. Pick ups will be available at Gypsy Saloon, 128 Ford Street, West Conshohocken. There is no minimum or delivery charge for pick-up orders.
