Photo by George Mahe
BEAST Butcher & Block (4156 Manchester), David and Meggan Sandusky’s next-level barbecue restaurant in The Grove, has ceased day-to-day operations. The restaurant's last day of regular service was March 26. The brand's flagship, BEAST Craft BBQ, will remain open. The Grove location will also fulfill the following existing obligations, in addition to honoring any outstanding gift cards at BEAST Craft BBQ in Belleville and BEAST’s food truck:
- Easter brunch on April 9 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Easter ham and bulk order pickups on April 9
- Hosting already-scheduled barbecue demonstration classes on April 8, 15, 22, and 29
The owners also plan to park the BEAST Craft BBQ Co. food truck in the lot at The Grove location at select times. In addition, BEAST will continue its obligations to supply barbecue sandwiches at CITYPARK.
The Concept
Courtesy of Glennmade
David Sandusky at The Skullery
BEAST Butcher & Block opened in The Grove in June 2019 with an aggressive business plan. In addition to being open for lunch and dinner daily, the location housed The Butchery, an onsite butcher shop offering fresh meats, sausage, charcuterie, as well as holiday hams and turkeys. A culinary playground called The Skullery featured fire-to-table experiential events, including "Pit-to-Plate" barbecue demo classes, group carving dinners, and Sandusky’s value-packed live-fire brunch, featuring a plethora of smoked meats along with standard brunch favorites. Catering options ran the gamut from boxed lunches and bulk meats to full-on pig roasts. Over the winter, BEAST introduced a live-fire steaks and chops dinner menu. This spring, Sandusky and his team even introduced his own line of gooey butter cakes under the Bettie Butter Cake label.
“Admittedly, the Grove location had a lot of moving parts," Sandusky says. "During the last few years, a lot of factors complicated what we could and couldn't accomplish there."
Despite the setback, Sandusky plans to shift gears and move forward in other ways. All of the revenue streams that had been operating out of The Grove location (i.e. the event business, catering, CITYPARK vending) have been funneled to the Belleville location. "Plus," he says, "with my entire management crew there, we’ll have the best team around, primed and ready to go heading into barbecue season. Our food truck will be rolling around town and we’ll be a force at all the major barbecue events.
"Right now," he continues, "I’m stoked for the arrival of my new child, looking forward to raising my children, and having time for some personal health and growth, as well. Closing BEAST Butcher & Block will also reduce the stress on my management team that has worked so hard for us over the years, and allow them some time for those same opportunities."
The Background
Courtesy of BEAST
The BEAST Craft brand was born almost a decade ago, in 2014, when a burly and brash pitmaster with a Billy Gibbons-esque beard burst onto the scene boasting no holds barred, “all killer, no filler” barbecue. Translation: “If it’s not great, it’s not on the menu.”
Applying artisanal (“craft”) techniques to the competitive St. Louis barbecue scene, the Sanduskys arguably introduced the area to “next-level ‘cue.” The brisket was Wagyu; the pork was Compart premium Duroc; the ribs were spare ribs, not baby backs; the 30-ounce pork steak quickly became legend. Side dishes ran the gamut from the usual suspects to seared potato salad, smoked cauliflower, and house gumbo.
Courtesy BEAST
The pork steak at BEAST Butcher & Block and BEAST's pork steak is served with only a fork because no knife is required.
In 2018, Thrillist named BEAST one of “33 Best BBQ Joints in America.” Food & Wine named the restaurant “Best BBQ in Illinois” from 2018–2022. Sandusky appeared on Season 2 of BBQ Brawl and with Steven Raichlen on Project Fire. He appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games, where he won.
In addition to The Grove location, the couple opened a full-service operation, BEAST Southern Kitchen & BBQ, in Columbia, Illinois, in late 2020, only to close it in May 2022. And this year, BEAST contracted with CITYPARK to sell sandwiches made with either pulled pork, pork steaks, or a version made with Harvest Shreds, a locally made vegan product.
Sandusky also remains open to future possibilities. "We'll get to the point where we can breathe," he says, "and then see if expansion—maybe even in another direction—makes sense."
