Butler’s Pantry President Richard Nix Jr.’s impact on St. Louis reaches far beyond his iconic catering and event company.

by Gerald Dlubala / Photos by Carmen Troesser

Nix Jr. would take over at the company’s helm in 1994, tasked with building on that dream.

“I felt blessed,” Ricky says. "The economy was turning, people had more disposable income, and businesses used catering services more frequently. Today, catering has evolved into putting on lavish events, from first birthdays to weddings and special occasions held at estates, St. Louis landmarks, and popular tourist attractions. We started as a catering company focused on bringing food and services to an office or home, but over the last 20 years, our venue business has grown so much that we now focus on the venue as much as the food and service aspects. At last count, we can cater in about 65 unique locations, so it's definitely been a nice addition to our business."

Nix Jr. says that today’s food industry is especially vibrant. The popularity of Food Network, celebrity chefs and the amount of creativity available within the industry makes the profession fun and challenging. He enjoys drawing inspiration from his youthful leadership team and partner vendors to create one-of-a-kind events for his clients.

“In our business, we’re usually not doing the same thing twice,” Ricky says. “Our menu is very diverse and continues to expand into all cultures. We get authentic products from all over the world, but we also source locally when possible. It's great to meet and work with our local artisans. That option wasn't available 20 years ago."

After being in business for 58 years and consolidating from three different buildings on The Hill to their current headquarters and commissary location on Park Avenue, Nix Jr. says their success has them looking to expand to better serve St. Louis.

“Butler’s Pantry has always been a small business,” Ricky says. “And while we are still a small family business, we work very hard to provide living wages and a great working culture. Talent and service staff are always the keys to a successful business, and our success is fueled by long-term, knowledgeable service staff and bright, young leadership, including another generation of family members, to help us remain strong into the future. Park Avenue has been a great location for us, but we see opportunities for growth in both our rental and catering divisions. We need more space to store the things that contribute to the client’s overall experience, meaning different tables, chairs, china, etc. We have great vendors here in St. Louis but controlling some of those costs and using them as revenue sources is nice. We’re absolutely looking to stay in the city, maybe near Midtown or The Grove, but we’re considering all options, including The [Delmar] Maker's District and the Near North area. We’d definitely consider a rehab situation, but if not, we would like to acquire the space we need for a stand-up, new build that would be an asset to the city."

Giving Back Has Always Been A Priority

“Not to coin a phrase, but we believe that a full life means a full pantry,” Ricky says. “In that aspect, we look for opportunities to help our community. We have a nonprofit called It’s Your Birthday for women and children living in shelters. We provide things like taco bars, cupcakes, or something else that these children and mothers might not otherwise experience due to their circumstances. It seems like a small gesture, but it's really impactful."

As a board member of COCA and The Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Louis, Nix Jr. believes in exposing children to as many things as possible, including food. He stresses that the way to make lasting change, specifically in young people, is to change what young people see and do.

“My father created Books For Newborns after realizing the importance of reading to children,” he adds. “We raise between $75,000 and $100,000 a year at our annual event, Booktoberfest, hosted by the Muny at the Culver Pavilion every October. One hundred percent of all money raised goes to buying early childhood books. The latest totals show that we’ve donated nearly 40,000 books to mothers to read to their children. Bookbags are handed to the mother on her way out of the hospital, giving her something to read to her child when they come home. Books For Newborns is a great grassroots charity that is near and dear to us. It's volunteer-run with no overhead that immediately gets a need into someone's hand. We have a lot of impactful organizations and locations in St. Louis, and while our focus includes children, we also support other causes, especially if it impacts our team members.”

Downtime Is Important

In his limited downtime, Nix Jr. loves to putter around in his garden to clear his head. He also enjoys pickleball and squash, wishes he had more time for golf and relishes time spent with his family.

“We try to keep Sunday as a day to kind of recoup, have a family meal, and try not to talk business,” he says. “We also love domestic and international travel. It's mind-boggling how many different cultures there are and how little we know about them.”

Ricky Nix also looks forward to one of his favorite events, the Forest Park Balloon Race. “When my dad owned the business, he worked with the original ‘Fab 4’ that started the balloon race 52 years ago,” he says. “They were just some young hippies at the time that went into Forest Park before it was cool and started a balloon race with maybe six balloons. They made it an annual event, and it continued to grow. It’s an incredible event that I got involved with five or six years ago when some original partners turned it over to their sons. Today, the balloon race is the only true free event in the city. We don’t charge parking and encourage people to bring picnic baskets and spend the day in the park. The Balloon Glow has become a huge date night event, and the race is a family tradition for many. We still honor the original ‘Fab 4’ every year, and we’re here to continue their tradition and make sure it remains a free event.”

Revitalizing St. Louis Will Take Collaborative Effort, Positive Mindset

When asked about the state of the city, Nix Jr. says: “I certainly believe in St. Louis and the need to get downtown on the right track. And I believe that we are on the right track. Unfortunately, some past events have set us back quite a bit, but I look to the future and see people like our mayor, the current District Attorney, and our Chief of Police trying to make a difference. St. Louis is Missouri's front door, and we must find a way to work together with the state to revive this city. I love Greater St Louis Inc. Their communication, focus, and willingness to collaborate and find solutions to problems that appease the majority over one small group is commendable. I applaud that. That said, we need to find ways to make people want to live in St Louis and the city specifically. We need to find the right schools and the right way to educate. We spend way too much money on public schools not to have a higher graduation rate. Our services need to improve. I'm hopeful that fewer aldermen can initiate a way to improve things, but we'll see how that goes.”

Nix Jr. says that St. Louis takes a lot of arrows, and there are obvious problems that need to be addressed. However, he likes to remind people that we have a lot to offer and that should be celebrated. The Muny offers nearly 1500 free seats every night for an experience no other city can match. St. Louis has a world-class Art Museum, History Museum, Botanical Garden, and Zoo, yet we hear consistently negative reporting as if bad things only happen here.

“Overall, we’re seeing good things happening,” Ricky says. “The restaurant scene, including city and downtown locations, is returning. The people at LHM [Lodging Hospitality Management] have renovated and made Union Station a really nice asset to the city, with more to come. What the Taylor and Kindle families have done downtown with our sports culture is amazing. This type of activation spurs more improvements. I include our own 18Rails event space in that category. It’s a unique, eclectic space in the city that hosts all types of events and is a bright spot in the City Foundry. The improvements made by St. Louis University, Washington University, and Cortex have to be commended. Steve Smith and his son Will took a brake plant and turned it into a thriving, very cool area of the city, which will only continue to grow. I've lived in St. Louis all my life, and it seems to take a couple of generations to get things activated, but places like The Grove have transformed a seedy type of area to an incredible, fun place because of work from these visionaries. It is possible if we work collectively to get back to the foundation of our city.”