“Hi, Do you know when the new BBQ 152 restaurant on Monterey Road is going to open? Thanks!”
Red Phone: Dear Eagerly Waiting, Many people have anxiously looked forward to having a good country style barbecue restaurant near downtown. It looks like we’ll have to keep salivating just a little longer. Owner Eric Ingram said he had originally hoped to open the restaurant June 1, but said he probably won’t be ready to open until later in June as the final preparations are made. He didn’t know exactly when it would open but said he hoped it would be soon because he has had a lot of interest from the community about the restaurant.
“People have been coming by saying this is what we needed,” he said. “We have a lot of customers from Gilroy who go to Morgan Hill. Hopefully we will be there for awhile. I can’t image doing anything else. I’m having too much fun to stop now.”
Ingram, who graduated from Live Oak High School, has started several barbecue restaurants with his brothers and dad Larry. They include Trail Dust BBQ in Morgan Hill, Aptos Street BBQ in Aptos and Salinas City BBQ in Salinas.
BBQ 152 will be similar to Trail Dust but will have a drive thru and will offer “smaller portions at smaller prices.”
“We want to keep the menu small and really focus on what we do best,” Ingram said.
Ingram said his dad, who lives in Gilroy, would help oversee BBQ 152 and he would probably hire a manager. Previously, the location at 8295 Monterey St. housed Gabby’s Taqueria, Las Palmas and KFC. Since then store and restrooms have been remodeled and it has been painted in southwestern colors.
