The future of Robust Bistro & Wine Bar (227 W. Lockwood), a Webster Groves mainstay for 18 years, is uncertain, according to owners Stanley and Arlene Browne.
The couple has been negotiating the sale of the restaurant to longtime executive chef Zach Dale and his wife, Kelcey, who leads Robust’s beverage program. Both have been with the business since its early days and report that “besides a few minor tweaks, very few changes are planned.”
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
Stanley told SLM that last fall the building’s landlord, McCallum Group LLC, had verbally agreed to the ownership transition before complications arose. “We were waiting on the closing documents when we learned of a lawsuit,” Stanley says. The suit seeks $84,000 in back rent. Stanley explains that a portion of the undisclosed sale proceeds would be used to resolve the suit. Arlene adds that selling the restaurant had long been part of their plan.
Robust LLC said in a statement: “For over 18 years, Robust has proudly been part of this city’s dining scene—building connections, supporting local causes, and creating experiences that bring people together. We are addressing this matter through the appropriate channels and working with the landlord to resolve the issue.”
Arlene tells SLM, “There has always been a plan for succession—that we’d sell the business in a few years. Because of the lawsuit, we’re doing it sooner than expected.”
The Brownes had anticipated closing the sale in December. “We hoped to have everything wrapped up by the end of the year, but that didn’t happen,” Stanley says. If the deal is not finalized by the end of January, he adds, the restaurant could close on January 31. The couple has been covering operating losses with personal funds for several months, but with a sale possibly within reach, those contributions could come to an end soon.
“I understand the landlord’s attorneys were told to find a path forward, which is what Arlene and I did,” Stanley says. “Now it just needs to happen. Believe me, I’d much rather sell Robust than shutter it.”
SLM has reached out to the landlord and representatives at Husch Blackwell, the landlord’s local counsel, for comment.
Stanley and Arlene first opened Robust in 2007, serving a small-plates menu alongside a curated wine list arranged by body style—“Robust factors”—rather than by grape varietal or region. Over the years, the Brownes opened two more locations—in Edwardsville and downtown. Those restaurants closed in 2015 and 2018, respectively. A spinoff concept, Snax Gastrobar in Lindenwood Park, closed in 2018. According to this report, in 2019, Robust LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, “which was intended to restructure debt from Robust’s other locations.”
The Webster Groves flagship has remained open since that time, and the Brownes are co-owners of Madrina, which opened just over two years ago in the former CJ Mugg’s space in Webster Groves.
The Brownes say the past year has been especially challenging. “We had a great December in 2024,” Stanley notes, “but 2025 brought repeated weather-related slowdowns—cold, snow, a delayed patio season, then a heat wave. The first half of the year was rough, and the second half didn’t make up for it.”
Arlene adds that December 2025 offered some relief, thanks to a month-long holiday promotion, “which softened the blow but just a little.”
Stanley says “diners—and consumers in general—are worried. They’re all watching their money a little bit more.”
