At the end of Loudon Road by Exit 3 sits an abandoned red restaurant abutting the woods. The recent appearance of a dumpster out front elicited whispers online of a potential new tenant.
The former Pit Road Lounge, empty since 2022, will soon become the new home of 603 Bar-B-Q.
The wildly popular barbecue spot, currently attached to Litherman’s Limited Brewing Company on Hall Street, outgrew the space as its popularity skyrocked over the summer and into the fall.
Owner Ben Normandeau had been dreaming of a larger eatery for a while. Long lines snaked out the door and into the parking lot of the Concord Business Center outside Litherman’s. In the fall, he decided to shorten his hours, with people coming from all over New England to try his food and quickly selling out the shop.
The new location “checks all the boxes,” Normandeau said.
“The idea with this location is we’ll be able to have more food. We have more space to seat people, and ideally, we won’t be sold out as much,” he said. “We’ll still probably sell out of things, especially at first, as we navigate how much food to make and kind of get our feet underneath us, but the idea is to not sell out as fast and have food for dinnertime and be able to serve more people that way.”
The restaurant has a full kitchen, and its spacious 4,500 square feet can accommodate 100 customers at a time, according to Normandeau.
Last month, he came close to closing a deal on a different location, but it fell through at the last minute. His landlords at Litherman’s, having heard he’d be leaving, moved to end the lease. Rather than asking for more time to stay in his current spot, Normandeau knew it was time to move on.
He has spent the past few weeks working closely with Concord’s city planning department to assess options and choose the best path forward, which led him to the former Pit Road Lounge.
The Loudon Road location, which he’s leasing from B&L Transmissions, is only one part of the shift Normandeau’s about to make. He’s also taking over the Hall Street manufacturing facility currently used by Aissa Sweets. Complete with a full kitchen and commercial packing equipment, the space will serve as a catering kitchen and sausage production facility.
Normandeau said he has wanted to branch out into the wholesale business for a while, so this change means good things ahead for barbecue fans. Soon, he hopes to have his sausages and sauces available for purchase in grocery stores.
“I think it’s going to be a huge, huge milestone for us to be able to get our name throughout the state and maybe throughout New England even more,” he said.
He wasn’t anticipating moving in this direction so quickly, but the space opened up and he jumped at the opportunity. Eventually, he also hopes to sell products online.
A lot will happen in the next few months. Normandeau, who hopes to open the restaurant by early June, said the Pit Road building, constructed in 1951, needs “a complete gut.” He is devising a plan for the transition, since 603-Bar-B-Q’s final day of service at Litherman’s is on March 29.
“We’re going to, with the city’s help, ideally, put the food truck outside of the Pit Road Lounge while we’re doing the construction,” he said.
The food truck itself may need some repairs, since it is quite old and hasn’t been used in a while. His team moves into the Aissa Sweets spot the second week of April, so if the food truck poses problems, he plans to offer orders for pick-up until the Pit Road location can open.
With a large catering kitchen, 603-Bar-B-Q will be able to cook for bigger events. Normandeau is giving all catering orders 10% off for the month of April to help the business keep running throughout the location change.
He plans to hire more staff, especially with the increased capacity at both new spots. The restaurant will even have a bar, he said, only serving wine and beer to start.
Normandeau knows his customers have been wondering where the business would land. He said he’s grateful to everyone for bearing with him throughout the process.
“We have the best community,” he said. “Everyone’s helped us try to find properties and rallied with us to get us here. So, we couldn’t be here without all of their help. But it’s just overwhelming support. Really excited about this new stuff that we’re going on.”