“font-family: Verdana;”>“We didn’t know what to expect that first year,” said Jacqueline Robbins, co-owner of the Rib Shack. “But I’m confident about our product, and I know once they get in the door they are going to love it.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>What’s not to love? With more than 20 main dishes, a dozen side items and a handful of desserts, if you keep looking on the Rib Shack menu, you will most certainly find something you can’t get enough of.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The Rib Shack, which offers a blend of barbeque and soul food, is celebrating its 1st anniversary next Tuesday, Nov. 29 with a bash at Studio Blu.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We are going to party,” Robbins said. “We are excited about what’s to come. We thank God that we made it a year, but we want to be consistent so we can continue.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Rib Shack’s signature dishes aren’t all found around the frame of a pig. They have chicken, beef and turkey options as well. Her husband and business partner Malcolm Robbins doesn’t even eat pork.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“He tears the beef ribs up, though,” Jacqueline said of her husband.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The turkey ribs are also a surprising and delicious option.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>A plumbing professional, a business manager and an insurance salesperson seem an unlikely trio to start a barbeque joint. But Robbins, her husband Malcolm Robbins and Tara Wells managed to pull it off – with special help from Malcolm’s mentor, Jerry Brown, who has more than 30 years in the food service industry.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“It had been a dream of my husband – which became our family dream,” Robbins said. “We had our insurance company and said let’s go ahead and get our restaurant going.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>They jumped head-first into the Rib Shack last year in the middle of holiday season in one of the worst economic situations the nation has seen since the Great Depression.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“You just do it,” Robbins said. “You wake up every day, and you do what you’ve got to do.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The first couple of months were slow, and the work was hard – sometimes 80 hours a week. Personal situations reared their head. Robbins’ son had to be carted back and forth every two weeks to Florida because of a medical condition; Malcolm had surgery in June.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“This was new to everybody, so we were all learning together,” Robbins said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“Finding the meats at a price where you can still make a profit and have the product be reasonably priced – that was challenging. It’s really about breaking down the cost of the food.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Beyond the 1,000 patrons they serve every week at their store, they are looking to bottle and sell their sauce and build their business into a nationwide franchise.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We are trying to take it to the next level,” Robbins said. “People come in and they already think we are a franchise.”
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>But in the meantime, they are going to celebrate and toast to a year down.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>“We are just going to party and have some fun and – a night full of fun,” ,” Robbins said.
“font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana;”>“There is a relationship between us and the customers – they love us and we love. It’s just a warm feeling to see people come in that are faithful customers. And we also never expected to get such a diverse group of customers from all nationalities and all over the city and the country. Soul food and barbecue are a meeting ground for people.”
Rib Shack
is open seven days a week and is located at 8642 Natural Bridge.
For more information, call (314) 427-1777.
Rib Shack
1st Year Anniversary Celebration will take place on
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at Studio Blu (8909 Natural Bridge). Wine and food
tasting begins at 5 p.m. (until 7 p.m.) and the after-party begins
at 8 p.m. and will feature DJ Jewel and performances by Readus
Miller, Rock Obama, Brother Dre, Jaylee Thomas, Doughboy and
more.
