Photography courtesy of Claire Leindecker, Red Brick Management
Good Buddy's will be situated beneath the awning at left, at 1115 Pine Street.
After years of working in the local dining scene, brothers Nathan and Luke Ragain and their friend Justin Gibson are striking out on their own with a new sandwich shop at 1115 Pine in downtown St. Louis.
Slated to open June 1, Good Buddy’s Tasty Soups & Sandwiches will serve “an elevated version of straightforward sandwiches” and soups, including several homemade daily options. The menu is still in the works, but it will focus on seasonally inspired fare. The restaurant will roast and smoke meats in house, and it will emphasize local produce. Ragain is still deciding whether to get local bread delivered daily or finish his bread in house.
In addition to running the sandwich shop by day, the Ragains plan to use the restaurant’s kitchen for their custom catering service, Devil’s Delights, at night. “We’re going to offer the corporate delivery of sandwiches through Good Buddy’s," says Nathan, "but also an entirely different menu through Devil’s Delight."
Good Buddy’s will help fill a gap in downtown lunchtime options, says Nathan, who says he noticed while on lunch breaks that local restaurants in the area often didn’t carry a solid selection of both soups and sandwiches. “I’ve eaten everything down there," he says, "and I couldn’t find a place that has everything under one roof.”
The co-owners have an extensive background in the restaurant business, having worked in restaurants since age 15. Nathan’s resume includes time as a cook at The Chase Park Plaza. Luke and Gibson worked together at St. Louis Pizza and Wings before moving to DB’s Sports Bar, where Nathan soon joined them. “Between the three of us, we have 49 years of experience," says Nathan. "We’ve been looking to branch out and do our own thing. We found the spot and the kitchen and decided it was time to go."
The kitchen is now finished, and the front of house should be completed in the next week or so, says Nathan. At first, the shop will be open for lunch from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. “We want to start off small," says Nathan, "and slowly expand our hours.”
