The family-owned Sweetwater BBQ restaurant in St. Robert, Missouri, is closing permanently on Dec. 22 after a quarter-century in business.
The owners stated they were retiring.
The restaurant put out this message on Facebook earlier this month:
The post generated more than 40 comments, wishing the owners well and lamenting they would no longer have their food around.
A local posted this on Facebook the week before:
Attempts to reach the owners were comment were unsuccessful.
The restaurant was founded in 1999 by Edijon Saxton, born in Japan but her family moved to Missouri as a child. She attended schools in nearby Waynesville.
She worked in the restaurant business in Texas for many years before striking out on her own with Sweetwater.
“With humble beginnings of just a hand-built premium pit and a carry-out counter, she was able to grow it into a 50+ seat restaurant with yearly accolades of being the Best Ribs in the Ozarks!” her obituary stated.
Saxton, 69, died in 2017. Her daughter Ukiko took over the business, according to State of Missouri business records.
Sweetwater is at 14076 Highway Z (aka Route 66), or at Exit 163 of Interstate 44. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. as usual on its final day.
(Image of Sweetwater BBQ in St. Robert, Missouri, via Facebook)