Learn French: Quitte à braver le vent, ces acheteurs déterminés restent dehors. - Even if it means braving the wind, these determined buyers stay outside.

Yes, quitte à is always followed by an infinitive, which is braver in this sentence. It expresses a risk or a negative consequence that someone is willing to accept to achieve a goal. It translates perfectly to "even if it means" or "at the risk of".

Who is doing the "braving" in this sentence, and how do we know?

The determined buyers (ces acheteurs déterminés) are doing the braving. Because quitte à uses an infinitive instead of a conjugated verb, the unspoken subject of that infinitive must be the exact same as the subject of the main clause.

Could I put the "quitte à" part at the end of the sentence instead?

Absolutely. You could say Ces acheteurs déterminés restent dehors, quitte à braver le vent. Placing the quitte à clause at the beginning simply emphasizes the extreme condition right away.

Does the verb "braver" just mean "to be brave"?

Careful, it is a slight false friend! Braver is an action verb that means "to face", "to defy", or "to stand up to" an obstacle (like the wind here). If you just want to describe a person's character as "brave", you would use an adjective like courageux.