Keeping Up With The Balcombs: BB's Wings 'n' Q (Our New Business Venture)

Okay, so after 7 months and tons of setbacks, we finally opened our restaurant on November 5, 2007. We got the place in April, 2007, but since the previous business had been shut down by the health dept. and the building sat empty for 1 1/2 years, we had our work cut out for us to get the place into shape and back up to code. Between the health dept., the city of Glenwood Springs, our jobs at the bowling alley, and of course our wedding & honeymoon, there were several factors working against us. But we got married, quit our jobs at the B.A., & did each & every stupid little thing the health dept. & city made us do in order to open. We did all the work ourselves, with the help of a couple of close friends & family, & the place looks amazing!

Since we opened we have been very successful both with our in-house dining & our catering services. We have even been fortunate enough to serve some celebrities. Bo & I spent New Year's Eve in Snowmass at Kurt Russell & Goldie Hawn's house catering their party. So many people were there including, Kate Hudson & her son Ryder, Oliver Hudson, Ashley Olson (of the Olson twins -- total bitch!), Matt Franco (ex-MLB player), Jenny McCarthy & her son Evan, Landon Donovan (MLS player), some rockers that all looked the same in their leather pants & long hair (didn't recognize any of them though), & many more. Of course, Kurt & Goldie were there too & were so nice & down to earth. The 1st thing that happened when we drove up & got out of the car was that Kurt came over & shook Bo's hand & said, "Hi. I'm Kurt.".....uh, yea, no shit! Hahaha! It was a great night. Everyone loved the food & Goldie has asked us to come back this summer for another party.

Another celebrity siting was Luke Bryan (up & coming Country Music star -- "We Rode In Trucks", "All My Friends Say"). It turns out he's a friend of one of our friends. Luke came into the restaurant for dinner with his manager. They had burgers & later remarked to our friend Jeff that they were the best burgers they had ever eaten. Oh yea, by the way, our friend Jeff's last name is LaRoche. Yes, the famous LaRoches of Major League Baseball. His father is a Hall of Famer who pitched for the Yankees, and his two younger brothers are Adam (Braves, Pirates) & Andy (Dodgers). Andy has been in for dinner a couple times. It's been a pretty neat couple of months.

So, it is now May 1st. We survived the winter & are anxiously awaiting the summer rush......hopefully we'll be able to hire some employees soon -- we really need the help! Especially now that I'm PREGNANT!!! :-) We serve mainly BBQ & chicken wings (hence our name -- BB's Wings 'n' Q), but also have burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads, & of course soft serve ice cream. YUM! We've develop a nice little local following, & have even been told by several people that we have the best food in town! Hooray! Go us! :-)

Bo smokes all the BBQ meat himself in his new brick smoker that he & a buddy built. It is the only 1 of its kind on the Western Slope, & 1 of only 2 in the entire state! He also makes his own rub, BBQ sauce, & cole slaw sauce. For those of you that made it to the wedding, you should have received a sample of the sauce & rub. We hope you liked it!

Below are some pics of the transformation from the old Dairy Kreme into the new BB's.

Before Front & Patio

Before Side & Back

Before Back (Where a homeless person had an elaborate living space built -- complete with sleeping area, shower, & even a painting on the wall.) & Before Back Bar

Before Back Bar & Dining Room (with Old Fashioned Ice Cream Bar)

Before Dining Room & Non-existent Women's Bathroom (had been converted into the former owner's living space for him, his large dog, & all of his homeless pals).