Inside the Old Base Factory at 230 Oberneufmann Road, there's a wall covered in a mosaic of old baseball cards, and one of them shows Mark McGuire in his Oakland A's years. Near it is a Gold Glove statuette beside a Rawlings pro shop where you can design a custom glove. Out front, the east entrance of the O'Fallon Family Sports Park is right across the street.
That location was the whole plan. The food hall opened at the end of summer to catch teams between games. Its first winter includes the two months when the tournament calendar across the street usually goes quiet.
A building aimed at the park across the street
Brothers Mike and Eric Wallace started the project in April 2024. Both live in O'Fallon. They wanted somewhere to eat and drink directly across from the Sports Park. Mike Wallace told First Alert 4 that it came from coaching youth baseball. After "pretty much" every game, he said, his son's first question was "where we going to eat after this."
The Belleville News-Democrat reported that location-tracking software counted 1.57 million visits to the Sports Park in 2024. Of those, 390,000 were unique visitors who stayed longer than 150 minutes. That season included 32 tournaments over 36 weekends, from March 3 to Nov. 2. The city's economic impact study found that overnight tournament visitors usually spend about $60 a day, compared with about $10 a day for people who come only for the day. The most recent report, covering August through December 2025, put the total at $9.25 million.
The building is set up for that crowd. It has a 3,000-square-foot covered patio, seating sized for whole teams, a separate event room for 60 to 80 people, and Rawlings, a St. Louis company, running a baseball shop inside. Rawlings' Lindsey Nabor told First Alert 4 the company was "going to where the athletes are."
The calendar across the street has turned
The O'Fallon Family Sports Park page now says, "Rentals are closed for the season – See you in 2027." Winter hours started Nov. 1. The park is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. through March 31, two hours shorter than its 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. schedule for the rest of the year. Pavilion rentals start again March 1.
The Old Base Factory opened around Aug. 28, according to First Alert 4's preview, which put its first months in the fall half of the tournament year. The same January BND report laid out the usual schedule. Soccer tournaments typically run in September, October and November, then again in February, March and April, and baseball and softball tournaments fill May through August. December and January are the only months missing from that list. On the usual schedule, that's the hall's first long stretch without tournament weekends, so the people driving to Oberneufmann Road for a meal will mostly live within a few miles of it.
The fields won't be completely empty. In January the city's parks director, Andrew Dallner, said every soccer field was booked Monday through Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., August through May. Those slots go to local clubs, the St. Louis Youth Soccer Association and city recreation programs that "primarily serve children from O'Fallon and Shiloh." So on a winter weeknight, the kids under the lights are mostly local kids, and so are their parents looking for dinner.
It was built with the neighbors in mind from the start
From the beginning, the owners planned the hall to fit next to houses. Eric Wallace told the Belleville News-Democrat that, to meet city zoning rules, they are controlling the lighting, skipping outdoor music and planting a tree every 10 feet as a buffer. They also invited nearby residents in for food and drinks the night before opening.
"We're family-oriented and we close early, so we hope visitors will check out our downtown district after our hours. Any way to show off O'Fallon."
He was speaking to visitors, but the point works for locals too. The hall sees itself as one stop on an O'Fallon evening, and downtown is the next one.
Seven counters, most with a local return address
The lineup is all quick-service counters, and the site says the lineup is set. Several have roots elsewhere in the Metro-East. This is the roster the BND reported at opening:
- Smash Jacks: a smashburger concept from the family behind No-Jacks Bar and Grill in Smithton. It has eight burgers made with locally sourced beef and a signature Moo sauce.
- Takozz: street tacos, quesabirrias, tortas and scratch-made salsas from friends Ramon Garcia and Eduardo Herrera. Their food truck often works Vine Street Market.
- O'Fallon Grind: espresso drinks and coffee cocktails made with beans from LongStory Coffee in Belleville, roasted by owner Erik Busch.
- Filipino Wok: sizzling sisig, chicken adobo, lumpia, ramen and halo-halo.
- Heaterz: hand-breaded chicken sandwiches, tenders and wings, with "sidewinder" fries and spicy cheese curds on the side.
- Stiletto Brothers Pizza: New York-style slices, 18-inch pies, calzones and garlic knots.
- City Scoops Creamery: ice cream, sorbet and Italian ice made in house, with dairy-free options.
The bar's craft beer partner is Urban Chestnut, and this is the brewery's first Metro East location. The hall also has an indoor arcade, multiple TVs for games and a fenced outdoor play area. First Alert 4's preview described it as turfed, with a sand pit for toddlers. Mobile ordering is available on the Old Base Factory website.
The pitch for a household is simple. Everyone picks a different counter and you all eat at one table. The hall's site says it's for "people who don't want to compromise."
Fitting it into a winter week
First Alert 4 reported that the hall will be open year-round. These are the hall's posted hours next to the park's winter hours:
| Monday–Thursday | Friday–Sunday | |
|---|---|---|
| Old Base Factory | 11 a.m.–9 p.m. | 10 a.m.–10 p.m. |
| Sports Park, Nov. 1–March 31 | 6 a.m.–8 p.m. | 6 a.m.–8 p.m. |
On weekends the hall opens at 10 a.m., which is early enough for coffee and a walk. The park has a 2.1-mile walking trail that connects to the community, along with playgrounds and small fishing ponds. On weeknights, the practice slots end at 8:30 p.m., and the hall stays open until 9.
For a holiday gathering, the event space is a separate room with its own entrance, bar, outdoor area and staff. You can book it through the contact page for team parties, celebrations and work events.
A factory that made the bases
The name comes from the building's history. In 1968, Ray Oberneufmann founded AAA Tool & Machine Co. on 2.5 acres. Starting in 1973, the company made the metal base assemblies used in Major League Baseball and shipped them to Rawlings for padding and logos. The business, later called Velocity Metalworks, outgrew its 12,000-square-foot building and moved to Belleville in February 2024. It now makes more than 60,000 bases a year. MLB uses nine bases per game and swaps them out in the third and sixth innings.
The hall's managers posed for the BND in front of old bases made in this building. Velocity Metalworks still makes the bases, now from its plant in Belleville.
If you're thinking about a home near the Sports Park and want to know what tournament season and the winter off-season feel like on the surrounding streets, Dream Team can show you around in person. Schedule a Free Consultation, and we'll show you how this part of O'Fallon changes between tournament weekends and the quiet weeks of December and January.
