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Monday, June 22, 2020

Lulu's Local Eatery Is For Sale; Beloved Vegan Restaurant's Future Uncertain

Posted By Cheryl Baehr on Mon, Jun 22, 2020 at 9:02 AM

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Lauren "Lulu" Loomis and Robbie Tucker have made the difficult decision to step away from their vegan restaurant, Lulu's Local Eatery. - JENNIFER SILVERERG

JENNIFER SILVERERG
Lauren "Lulu" Loomis and Robbie Tucker have made the difficult decision to step away from their vegan restaurant, Lulu's Local Eatery.

Lulu's Local Eatery (3201 South Grand Boulevard, 314-300-8215), the beloved South Grand vegan restaurant, is for sale. Owners Lauren "Lulu" Loomis and Robbie Tucker are stepping away from the restaurant, hoping that a buyer will be able to carry on the brand. Until then, the restaurant remains closed.

News of the sale came to light last night on the Facebook forum, St. Louis Vegetarians and Vegans, where a follower flagged the information from another social media site, St. Louis Group Business Brokers. The brokerage post advertises Lulu's as an "award-winning, profitable, fast-casual restaurant in a prime location." The asking price for the turnkey operation is $125,000. The buyer will also assume the business' rent obligation of $3,250 per month.

In a statement on the Lulu's Local Eatery page released this morning, Loomis and Tucker confirmed the sale, citing "personal health reasons" for their "incredibly difficult" decision. The husband and wife are hopeful that someone will carry on their vision and are offering all of their branding, recipes and equipment as part of the sale.

Lulu's Local Eatery began in 2012 as a popular food truck, garnering so much praise from herbivores and omnivores alike that Loomis and Tucker decided to put down roots in a brick and mortar in 2014. Since then, the restaurant has gone on to become an integral part of the vegetarian and vegan community, and a light of the South Grand food scene.

At this time, Loomis and Tucker are not commenting beyond the statement on their Facebook page. We will update this post if that changes. In the meantime, read the entire Lulu's Local Eatery statement below.

Dear Community and Friends,

Lulu’s has been closed for three months and we have made the incredibly difficult decision to officially list the restaurant for sale. For personal health reasons, we have decided we need to move onto the next chapter in our lives.

This loss fills us with immense sadness. But we are also overwhelmed with a sense of pride and gratitude for the opportunity to serve this community a sustainable and affordable dining option over the last eight years. Thank you to the talented and caring crew that made it all possible. Thank you to everyone who brought a friend, celebrated a birthday with us, played some ping pong upstairs or enjoyed some buffalo cauliflower bites on the patio. Thank you to all the other South Grand businesses who have created such a vibrant and supportive community.

We would love for someone to continue this vision of sustainability that we’ve poured our hearts and souls into. Our turn key business, including branding, recipes and equipment, are officially for sale. Please direct all serious inquiries to our business broker, Rob Schmitt at robs@stlouisgroup.com.

With so much love and gratitude, Lulu & Robbie

We are always hungry for tips and feedback. Email the author at cheryl.baehr@riverfronttimes.com.

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Tags: Lulu's Local Eatery, St. Louis Vegetarians and Vegans, Lauren Loomis, Lulu Loomis, Robbie Tucker, St. Louis Group Business Brokers, Image

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