603 Bar-B-Q reopens at new location on Father’s Day weekend

Chip Hornbeek knew good Texas-style barbecue when he tasted it — but it was hard to come by in New England.

The Wolfeboro resident, originally from the Lone Star state, said he found 603 Bar-B-Q through a friend and became one of the business’s first customers when it opened in 2022.

When the 603 team began their year-long search for a new location, Hornbeek, a realtor, helped them. On Thursday evening, as the team prepared to reopen ahead of Father’s Day weekend, he finally got to see their new space’s transformation.

“It’s got that old feel when you pull up, like it’s an old barbecue joint that’s been around forever,” he said.

603 Bar-B-Q will open its doors Saturday after months of renovations to their new location, the former Pit Road Lounge at 388 Loudon Road. The restaurant’s soft launch saw over 70 friends and family members dine in, a preview of the new space’s capacity to hold more people and more food.

Owner Ben Normandeau described the transition from their old location on Hall Street as “chaotic and seamless at the same time.” While renovations to the new location were still ongoing, staff members served barbecue from their food truck parked right out front.

“[We] completely ripped everything out and did everything brand new,” he said, “so completely new floors, completely new walls, new bar. We did granite everywhere, we did custom woodwork… It came together pretty well.”

Lines outside the food truck got just as long as they did at 603 Bar-B-Q’s previous location — about 100 customers on a typical Saturday — but Normandeau said the truck’s ability to only fit, at most, two people at a time made service slower.

But the outpouring of support left general manager Andrew McArdle awestruck, especially when there were lines during bad weather.

“We had customers line up every day all the way to the back grass on Saturdays and Sundays, and none of this would be possible without our awesome customers,” he said.

Service will flow more efficiently on Loudon Road, with over double the amount of staff behind the counter. A snake-like queue funnels customers to a long counter that will serve food assembly line-style, starting with sides and completing with vast choices of meat.

There will also be more seating, with several beer garden-style tables, high tops, bar chairs and an outdoor patio that can fit about 130 people. There will also be more food storage to avoid running out of food by the middle of the business day.

Normandeau said he wants to make the space “as good as possible.” His 12-person staff grew to 15 during the transition, and he hopes to hire more as needed. He also has his sights set on expanding outdoor seating behind the building once the team gets acclimated.

“I haven’t had butterflies in a long time, but today we’ve definitely had butterflies again,” he said. “I’m definitely really excited, blessed to have an awesome team here that’s been with us through the whole transition process.”

603 Bar-B-Q will continue operating with its regular hours: Thursday through Sunday, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. In the future, Normandeau said he hopes to open one other weekday and to extend his hours.

At Saturday’s kick-off event, New England Tie Dye Company will be making custom shirts for patrons throughout the day.

Gail Blodgett, Normandeau’s mom, recalled when her son traveled to Texas for 10 weeks to visit dozens of barbecue restaurants. She never expected him to get into the business but was happy to see how it has grown.

“It’s wonderful to see this from what it was,” she said.