From The Hill to West County: The Story Behind Our Favorite Buns

There's a saying in the restaurant business that you're only as good as your ingredients. We've always believed that to be true here at Clancy's, but nowhere is it more obvious than when it comes to bread. A burger can have the juiciest patty, the freshest toppings, and the most perfectly melted cheese: but if it's sitting on a stale, generic bun? The whole experience falls flat.

That's why we're so proud to tell you the story of one of our favorite partnerships: the one we've built with Vitale's Bakery, a St. Louis institution nestled in the heart of The Hill.

When Good Enough Wasn't Good Enough Anymore

For years, my parents used another brand of bread here at the pub. It worked fine for a while, but over time, the quality became inconsistent. Some weeks the delivery would be perfect. Other weeks? Not so much. When you're running a family business and your reputation is on the line with every single plate that leaves the kitchen, "inconsistent" just isn't a word you can live with.

We knew we needed to make a change. We started searching for a new bread supplier: someone local to St. Louis who could provide the quality we were looking for. We weren't interested in cutting corners or settling for "good enough." We wanted bread that would make our sandwiches and burgers stand out, not just blend in.

That's when a friend recommended Vitale's Bakery.

A Recommendation That Changed Everything

If you've spent any time in St. Louis, you've probably heard of The Hill. It's the historic Italian neighborhood known for its tight-knit community, incredible food, and family-owned businesses that have been around for generations. Vitale's Bakery is one of those places: a true St. Louis staple that has been serving the community with fresh-baked bread, pizza shells, cookies, and more for decades.

We reached out to them, and honestly, it just clicked from the very beginning.

We chose Vitale's for a few reasons. First and foremost, the quality and taste of their bread is simply superior. You can tell the difference the moment you pick up one of their buns: it's soft, fresh, and made with real care. But beyond the product itself, the people behind Vitale's are just genuinely good people. And when you're building a partnership that's going to impact your business every single day, that matters more than you might think.

Family Business Meets Family Business

One of the things we love most about working with Vitale's is that we share the same values. Angie Vitale has been in the bakery business for a long time, and she truly understands what it means to run a family business with a family. Despite coming from different cultures and backgrounds: Irish roots over here, Italian roots over there: our commitment to family and the way we operate our businesses is very much the same.

There's a mutual respect that comes with that. We understand the long hours, the sacrifices, and the pride that goes into building something from the ground up. When we talk to Angie and her team, it's not just a vendor relationship. It feels like we're all in this together, supporting each other's dreams.

A Trip to The Hill We'll Never Forget

When we first started ordering from Vitale's, it was pretty simple. We'd just call in our order over the phone, and they'd take care of the rest. But as Clancy's got busier and our bread needs grew, there were a few times when we found ourselves in a pinch and had to make an emergency run down to The Hill to pick up our order in person.

One of those trips turned into something really special.

Angie took us back into the bakery and showed us the entire production line. We got to see where they were making pizza shells, watched the dough being prepared, and really got a behind-the-scenes look at the craft that goes into every single product they make. It was incredible to see the operation up close and to understand just how much care and expertise goes into what they do.

And our kids? They absolutely loved it. Vitale's has this charming little market attached to the bakery where they sell fresh cookies, homemade pasta, bread, candies, and all sorts of goodies. Every time we visit, the kids beg to go in and pick out something sweet. It's become one of those little family traditions that we treasure.

The Heavy Hitters: Our Famous Burger Buns

So what are the "stars" of this partnership? Without a doubt, it's our burger buns.

We're known for our burgers here at Clancy's. It's one of the things people come back for again and again. So when we were looking for a new bread supplier, we knew the burger buns had to be absolutely perfect. We needed something fresh, soft, and flavorful: a bun that could hold up to a juicy patty without falling apart or overshadowing the other ingredients.

Vitale's delivered exactly what we were looking for. Their burger buns have become the foundation of some of our most popular dishes on the menu, and we couldn't be happier with them.

The Rye Story: A Happy Accident

Here's a fun little behind-the-scenes story for you.

For years, we bought a specific brand of rye bread from a local grocery store for our patty melts and reubens. Every single day, someone from the team would drive to the store and buy loaves of this particular rye. It worked, and our customers loved those sandwiches.

But after a while, it just wasn't economically feasible anymore. Between the time spent making those daily grocery runs and the cost adding up, we knew we needed a better solution.

So we started experimenting with Vitale's. We tried a couple of different options until we landed on the perfect one: a single-cut, unseeded rye. Not only was it similar to the grocery store loaf we had been using, but it was actually better: because it was made fresh, locally, with that Vitale's quality we had come to rely on.

Now our patty melts and reubens are better than ever, and we don't have to send someone to the grocery store every day. It's a win-win.

The Freshness Factor

One of the questions we get asked a lot is: "How do you keep your bread so fresh?"

The answer is simple: logistics and a partner who takes freshness as seriously as we do.

We get deliveries from Vitale's three times per week. Here's how it works: we place our order by 5pm, they bake everything that evening, and it's delivered to our back door by 9am the next morning. That means when you're biting into one of our burgers or sandwiches, you're eating bread that was literally baked just hours before.

You really can taste the difference.

The Secret Sauce (It's Actually the Bread)

So what's the "secret" to why our sandwiches and burgers taste so good? Honestly, a huge part of it is the freshness of the bread from Vitale's.

Here's a little insider detail: the bread is so soft when it arrives that it's actually hard to slice! That's how fresh it is. We've developed a little technique with our burgers where we leave the bottom bun soft and untoasted, but we toast the top bun. That way, you get the perfect mix of soft and toasty in every single bite: a little texture contrast that makes the whole thing come together beautifully.

It's a small detail, but those small details are what separate a good meal from a great one.

More Than Just Bread

At the end of the day, our partnership with Vitale's Bakery is about so much more than just bread. It's about two family businesses supporting each other, sharing the same values, and working together to bring something special to our customers.

Every time you order a burger, a patty melt, or a reuben at Clancy's on Old State, you're tasting the result of that partnership. You're tasting bread that traveled from The Hill to West County, baked fresh by people who care just as much about quality as we do. We're incredibly grateful to Angie, Bobby, and the entire Vitale's team for being such wonderful partners. Here's to many more years of fresh bread, family values, and delicious food shared with the people we love.

Ready to taste the difference for yourself? Come see us at Clancy's on Old State Monday through Friday 11am to 11pm and try one of our famous burgers or sandwiches. We promise: you'll understand exactly what we're talking about from the very first bite. Visit us online at wwwClancysSTL.com.