Sweetie Pie’s, one of the city’s most iconic soul food restaurants, is planning a return at a brand-new location.
Back in May 2023, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Sweetie Pie’s founder Robbie Montgomery was working on opening Sweetie Pie’s 2nd Act near the corner of Kingshighway and Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in Kingsway East (pictured at right). At the time, Montgomery told SLM that the project was in its infancy, with a long road ahead. She anticipated investing nearly $4 million to bring the vision to life.
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Then, this November, The St. Louis American confirmed that Montgomery had purchased a vacant building in the 4900 block of MLK Drive. Part of the revival was slated to be supported by a $1.5 million grant from the City of St. Louis, funded through federal pandemic relief aimed at boosting North Side businesses and nonprofits. The St. Louis American reports that the building itself has a rich history—it was a movie theater in the 1920s, an A&P grocery store in the 1960s, and later a Family Dollar before closing.
Montgomery’s plans go beyond the restaurant, incorporating an event space next door (pictured below) and additional commercial and residential projects. She’s also secured options on vacant lots in the surrounding area, hoping to attract other entrepreneurs to join revitalization efforts.
Recently, “Coming Soon” signs for Sweetie Pie’s were spotted on the two buildings. While there’s no confirmed opening date yet, Montgomery shared via text that she’s working hard to make it happen.
The Backstory
Montgomery’s career effectively began while she was living in the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects. She participated in school talent shows, sang in the church choir, and co-founded a singing group called the Rhythmettes, which later evolved into the Ikettes, a key component of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue during the 1960s.
From 1968 to 1988, Montgomery toured the world, performing as a dancer and background vocalist for legendary artists such as the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Barbra Streisand, and Debbie Reynolds.
A collapsed lung forced Montgomery to leave the stage, however, and return home to St. Louis. Seeking a new path, she opened the flagship Sweetie Pie’s soul-food restaurant in Dellwood, later adding locations in The Grove and the Grand Center Arts District with Sweetie Pie’s Upper Crust on Delmar.
Montgomery and her family gained national fame through their reality series, Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, which aired on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. The show became OWN’s most popular series, running for nine seasons, from 2011–2018.
In 2022, the Upper Crust location closed, following the conviction of Montgomery’s son, Tim Norman, for orchestrating the murder of his nephew to collect a fraudulent life insurance payout. Norman was sentenced to life in prison, and Montgomery announced the closure of the restaurant in September 2022 shortly after the verdict.
Despite these challenges, Montgomery remains determined to rebuild. “These are my stomping grounds,” she told The St. Louis American. “This is where I lived, and I’m gonna do whatever I have to do. I’ll sell chicken on the corner if I have to, but I’m gonna make this work!”
