Straub's Fine Grocer's
Five-generation, family-owned neighborhood grocery chain operating four full-line stores in the St. Louis metro area, offering premium meats, seafood, chef-prepared foods, and signature bakery items, with local catering, Instacart online delivery, and nationwide gift shipping.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1901
- HeadquartersClayton, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Straub's Fine Grocer's does
Straub's Markets is a five-generation, family-owned neighborhood grocery chain founded in 1901 and headquartered in Clayton, Missouri. It operates four full-line grocery stores across the St. Louis metropolitan area — Clayton (which also houses a dedicated chicken salad production room), Town & Country, Webster Groves, and the Central West End location in St. Louis — each carrying an in-house USDA Prime butcher shop, a fresh seafood counter, a deli and chef-prepared foods department, a bakery, produce, specialty grocery, and a wine, beer and spirits department. Signature items include the World Famous Chicken Salad (83 tons sold in 2025) and the Miss Hulling's Split Layer Cakes, whose original recipes Straub's acquired after the original Miss Hulling's restaurant closed.
The company's revenue model is multi-channel and predominantly retail. In-store grocery is the core stream, supplemented by catering (corporate events, box lunches, sandwich platters and holiday feasts), Instacart-powered local grocery delivery through shop.straubs.com, and nationwide shipping of signature SKUs (USDA Prime steaks, gift baskets, chicken salad) via the Shopify storefront. Catering is operated on a dedicated FoodStorm platform at catering.straubs.com, with pickup or local delivery available from all four stores. Pricing is unit-based and publicly disclosed for categories such as custom cakes (single layer $14.99 to full sheet $99.99), with a new monthly "Dinners for Two" chef-designed meal kit recurring product. Customer segments are St. Louis metro residents as the primary base, catering customers for B2B and private events, and nationwide gift purchasers for out-of-region shipping.
The company has no external capital, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds; ownership remains concentrated within the Straub family, with fifth-generation Ellie Straub Huff active in the Non-Perishable Specialist role alongside department heads including Head Butcher Joe Lucas and Head Chef Fred Youngblood. Technology integration is built entirely on third-party platforms (Shopify, Instacart, FoodStorm, Cloudflare) and a broad set of mainstream payment processors. Straub's charitable activity is anchored by a partnership with Operation Food Search, including a daily food rescue program. The business has been recognized regionally with the N.A.S.F.T. Specialty Food Retailer of the Year, BBB World Class Customer Satisfaction, Ladue News Platinum Best Grocer, Sauce Magazine Reader's Choice Best Butcher, and the St. Louis A-List Award in 2025.
Straub's Fine Grocer's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Straub's Fine Grocer's
- Legal name
- Straub's Markets
- Website
- https://straubs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1901
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Five-generation, family-owned neighborhood grocery chain operating four full-line stores in the St. Louis metro area, offering premium meats, seafood, chef-prepared foods, and signature bakery items, with local catering, Instacart online delivery, and nationwide gift shipping.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Straub's Fine Grocer's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Grocery Retail
- NAICS
- Specialty Food Retailers (4452), Food and Beverage Retailers (445)
- SIC
- Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Food Stores (5400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Prepared Foods & Catering-Focused Specialty Stores (CRAHAGAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Imported & Regional Specialty Food Stores (CRAHAGAL)
Keywords
Where Straub's Fine Grocer's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Clayton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Straub's Fine Grocer's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- In-Store Grocery Sales: Revenue from physical retail sales across four St. Louis neighborhood locations including fresh meats, seafood, deli, bakery, produce, specialty grocery, and wine/beer/spirits departments
- Catering Services: Corporate and event catering including breakfast, appetizers, box lunches, sandwich platters, entrees, salads, and desserts. Offered for pickup or local delivery from all four locations.
- Online Grocery Delivery (Instacart): Third-party delivery service allowing customers to order groceries online for home delivery
- Nationwide Shipping: Shipping of signature products including USDA Prime steaks, gift baskets, and famous chicken salad to customers outside the St. Louis area
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 8-inch Single Layer Custom Cake serves 4-6 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 8-inch Double Layer Custom Cake serves 10-12 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Quarter Sheet Cake serves 10-15 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Half Sheet Cake serves 25-30 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Full Sheet Cake serves 75-100 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 12-inch Cookie Cake |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Miss Hulling's Split Cakes Decorated |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Cupcakes |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Straub's Fine Grocer's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Straub's Markets is a family-owned neighborhood grocery retailer operating four stores in the St. Louis metro area, selling fresh meats and seafood, deli and chef-prepared foods, bakery items, produce, specialty grocery, and wine/beer/spirits. The company complements in-store retail with catering services for corporate and private events, local grocery delivery through Instacart, and nationwide shipping of signature items such as USDA Prime steaks, gift baskets, World Famous Chicken Salad, and Miss Hulling's Split Layer Cakes.
Product overview
Straub's Markets is a five-generation family-owned grocery chain operating four St. Louis neighborhood stores since 1901. The company offers a unified retail experience combining perishable departments (USDA Prime Butcher Shop, fresh Seafood, Deli with their signature World Famous Chicken Salad, and in-house Bakery featuring Miss Hulling's Split Layer Cakes) with specialty grocery, produce, and wine/spirits. Online services include nationwide shipping of steaks and gift baskets, local delivery via Instacart, catering powered by FoodStorm, and monthly Dinners for Two meal kits. The brand is built on St. Louis culinary traditions, with signature products like the World Famous Chicken Salad (83 tons sold in 2025) and exclusive rights to Miss Hulling's cake recipes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- World Famous Chicken Salad Signature chicken salad recipe created in the late 1960s using fresh chicken breasts and Hellmann's mayonnaise, made fresh daily by a dedicated 'Chicken Salad Ladies' team in a dedicated production room at the Clayton store.
- Miss Hulling's Split Layer Cakes Legendary St. Louis split layer cakes dating back to Florence Hulling's first Miss Hulling's restaurant opened in 1930; Straub's now holds the exclusive recipes and bakes them following the original process.
- Catering Services Event catering from sandwich platters and box lunches to holiday feasts and corporate functions, including breakfast, appetizers, entrees, salads, and desserts, with order management via the FoodStorm platform and pickup or local delivery from all four stores.
- Dinners for Two Monthly multi-course meal kits designed by Straub's chefs, with a different dish for every weekday, ready to heat and serve at home.
- Custom Decorated Cakes Custom cakes for celebrations including 8-inch single/double layer cakes, quarter/half/full sheet cakes, 12-inch cookie cakes, decorated Miss Hulling's cakes, and custom cupcakes, with size- and decoration-based pricing.
- Gift Baskets Gourmet gift baskets featuring snacks, drinks, cookies, and specialty Straub's items, available for shipping nationwide through the main e-commerce site.
- Local Grocery Delivery Online grocery ordering and delivery service powered by Instacart (shop.straubs.com) for customers in the St. Louis metro area, with delivery windows of approximately 1.5 hours.
- Nationwide Shipping Shipping of signature Straub's products including USDA Prime steaks, gourmet gift baskets, World Famous Chicken Salad, and Miss Hulling's Split Layer Cakes to customers anywhere in the United States via the main Shopify-powered storefront.
Quantifiable outcome
- 83 tons of World Famous Chicken Salad sold in 2025 alone
Companies that use Straub's Fine Grocer's
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Straub's Fine Grocer's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature2 records
Straub's Fine Grocer's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Operation Food Searchprimary charitable partnerPrimary charitable partner of Straub's. Daily food rescue program where unsold food is donated to feed families. Hosts food drives including Shop Out Hunger. Employee-led giving through weekly Dress Down Days where employees donate $1 to wear jeans, with many making automatic paycheck donations.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Straub's Fine Grocer's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wegmans: Large regional specialty grocer known for prepared foods, in-store dining, and strong perishables; comparable in customer experience model and emphasis on chef-driven prepared foods versus Straub's deli and bakery programs.
- Whole Foods Market: National specialty/premium grocery chain owned by Amazon; competes for premium perishables, prepared foods, and specialty grocery customers with broader scale and stronger digital infrastructure than Straub's.
- Trader Joe's: National specialty grocer with curated private-label assortment and strong prepared-foods offering; competes for the same premium, experience-driven grocery customer that Straub's targets in its affluent neighborhoods.
- Fresh Thyme Market: Midwest-focused specialty/natural grocer operating across multiple states including Missouri; competes for natural, specialty, and prepared-foods customers in overlapping geographies.
Regional players
- Metropolitan Market: Independent, family-style specialty grocer in the Pacific Northwest with strong prepared foods, butcher, and bakery departments; mirrors Straub's neighborhood specialty format and chef-driven merchandising model.
- New Seasons Market: Independent neighborhood specialty grocer emphasizing local producers, prepared foods, and community engagement; shares Straub's positioning as a community-embedded, premium specialty retailer with curated local assortments.
- Schnucks: St. Louis-based regional grocery chain operating dozens of stores across the same metro and surrounding region; directly overlaps Straub's core market and competes for premium and everyday grocery spend with a much larger footprint.
- Dierbergs Markets: Family-owned St. Louis-area supermarket chain with a strong specialty/premium positioning; competes head-to-head with Straub's for the same affluent suburban shopper across the St. Louis metro.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Straub's Fine Grocer's social profiles
Digital presenceStraub's Fine Grocer's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Straub's Fine Grocer's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Straub's Fine Grocer's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Straub's Fine Grocer's M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Straub's Fine Grocer's
What does Straub's Fine Grocer's do?
Straub's Markets is a family-owned neighborhood grocery retailer operating four stores in the St. Louis metro area, selling fresh meats and seafood, deli and chef-prepared foods, bakery items, produce, specialty grocery, and wine/beer/spirits. The company complements in-store retail with catering services for corporate and private events, local grocery delivery through Instacart, and nationwide shipping of signature items such as USDA Prime steaks, gift baskets, World Famous Chicken Salad, and Miss Hulling's Split Layer Cakes.
Is Straub's Fine Grocer's a public or private company?
Straub's Fine Grocer's is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Straub's Fine Grocer's founded?
Straub's Fine Grocer's was founded in 1901. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Straub's Fine Grocer's based?
Straub's Fine Grocer's is headquartered in Clayton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Straub's Fine Grocer's make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. In-Store Grocery Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, online Grocery Delivery (Instacart) and nationwide Shipping.
Who are Straub's Fine Grocer's's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wegmans, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's and Fresh Thyme Market. Regional players are Metropolitan Market, New Seasons Market, Schnucks and Dierbergs Markets.
Does Straub's Fine Grocer's have an API?
No public API is recorded for Straub's Fine Grocer's.
What industry is Straub's Fine Grocer's in?
Straub's Fine Grocer's's product category is Specialty Grocery Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAHAGAM, Prepared Foods & Catering-Focused Specialty Stores, with a secondary code of CRAHAGAL, Imported & Regional Specialty Food Stores. Its NAICS code is 4452 and its SIC code is 5411.