Maryland duo brings Virginia-style barbecue to OP

OCEAN CITY TODAY/LISA CAPITELLI Richard Ivey, president and CEO of Virginia Barbeque, left, joins Nancy Poret and her fiancé, Lee Keefer, at the new Ocean Pines location in Pennington Commons on Tuesday. The restaurant is scheduled to officially open to the public today (Friday). (April 17, 2009) Nancy Poret and her fiancé, Lee Keefer, have received e-mails, phone calls and visits from people curious about the opening of their new restaurant in the Pennington Commons Shopping Center in Ocean Pines. Some have even approached her as she was pumping gasoline because they caught a glimpse of the "Virginia Barbeque" magnet she has attached to her car.

Those craving the chain restaurant's famous Virginia and North Carolina barbeque don't have to wait any longer. The eatery held a "soft opening" this week to train employees, and Virginia Barbeque was officially scheduled to open its doors today (Friday) at 11 a.m.

"We took the paper off the windows on Monday and people have been coming in asking when will we be opening,"

Poret said. "I never thought so many people would be in tune to a new restaurant. We're very excited to be opening." Poret began looking into different franchise opportunities at the end of last summer. On a

rainy Labor Day Saturday, she found information about Virginia Barbeque online. She said she had even wanted barbecue for lunch that day, but the place she went to was sold out.

"There was our sign," she said. "We thought we were making a good choice, and since we've done it, we're so glad we made this choice."

Poret and Keefer visited the corporate restaurant in Fredericksburg, Va., and another in Richmond, Va., with Richard Ivey, president and CEO of Virginia Barbeque. The duo sampled food from the restaurant's menu and fell in love. "We were sold," Poret said.

"It was really good. It feels like I'm down south," she said. "It's totally different. Nobody has authentic southern barbecue around here. It's not fast food, it's good food served fast."

The couple purchased the franchise at the end of September and began plans to open in the Pines. In the future, Poret said, the duo will look to expand the restaurant — she has the option to open other Virginia Barbeques in Worcester, Wicomico and Sussex counties.

According to Ivey, who was at Poret's and Keefer's shop Tuesday to train employees, the Pennington Commons location, at 2,200 square feet, is one of, if not the largest of the 15 Virginia Barbeque restaurants. It has 56 seats.

The closest Virginia Barbeque restaurant is about an hour away in Middletown, Del. The only other Maryland Virginia Barbeque opened in Hagerstown last year. There are also restaurants in North Carolina, Michigan and California.

"It's a larger demographic than we normally operate in, so coming into an area like this is awesome," Ivey said. "We started in small towns and we've grown to bigger markets. Ocean Pines is one of the biggest."

Poret, an area developer, said her favorite menu item is the tomatobased Virginia barbecue. The North Carolina blend has a vinegar-based sauce. Texas Smoked Beef Brisket is also available. All of the meat is moist and lean, Poret said, and slow cooked over hickory wood for 12 hours. It is hand-pulled and the fat is removed before being shipped to the restaurant.

Also offered are RotisiQUE Chicken BBQ, St. Louis Smoked Ribs and allbeef hot dogs. Combo meals, which include a choice of barbecue sandwich, two sides and 20-ounce drink for $7.99, and platters with a sampling of menu items are available as well. The catfish platter and VA BBQ OP's Surf & Turf were specifically created for this location.

There is also a Smaller Appetite Menu for children and adults who don't want the standard portion.

The extensive list of side orders, made fresh daily, includes French fries, roasted red potato salad, southern shredded slaw, baked beans, corn bread muffins, country green beans, seasoned collard greens, hush puppies, whipped Idaho potatoes and macaroni and cheese.

A family meal of one pint of barbecue (any style), two pints of sides, four pieces of cornbread and four buns is offered for $19.99.

Catering packages are also available.

Hours of operation are Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.