Big Daddy & Son’s BBQ making Midtown move to new storefront
By Cameron Montemayor
A popular and long-standing barbecue destination is celebrating an expansion from food truck to storefront this week in Midtown St. Joseph.
Big Daddy & Son’s BBQ will christen its new storefront, which will go by Big Daddy BBQ, at 2121 Francis St. with a soft opening this Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“I gave myself four years to get to this point, and I’m glad it happened, thanks to the community and the people who supported us,” owner and operator Malkaam Muhammad said.
The restaurant will offer drive-thru and curbside pickup options in the early going as staff members prepare the interior for an all-new dine-in experience, which is expected to be up and running in the next three months.
The restaurant’s regular hours will be Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The new storefront has been a longtime goal for Muhammad, a second-generation owner and St. Joseph native. He’s excited to start a new chapter and build on the legacy his parents established when they first opened the food truck 24 years ago.
The restaurant has amassed a loyal and passionate fanbase in St. Joseph in that time. Muhammad took the reigns on the restaurant four years ago and relishes the people who have supported them along the way.
“Customers from way back would come up and say, ‘Hey, I remember your dad and your mom running this barbecue joint’ and I see them bring their kids to our place. It just means a lot,” Muhammad said.
The new storefront will boost the restaurant’s food prep capabilities and will allow it to keep menu items available on a consistent basis. A new and expanded menu is expected to be released on its Facebook page this week in the lead-up to the soft opening.
“I just want to continue to keep pushing good taste and a good quality meal out there to the community,” Muhammad said.
Even with the new storefront, Big Daddy BBQ will continue to cater and bring its trademark cherry and hickory smoked barbecue to events across the city.
A Midtown native himself, the chance to bring a new and permanent destination to an area of St. Joseph that doesn’t often see culinary development is a notable point of pride for Muhammad.
“To get something like this for the Midtown I think is pretty huge. I grew up in this community, went to Central, went to the Bartlett Center, and it just means a lot, especially to give them something like this,” he said.
For more information and updates on the restaurant and food truck, visit Big Daddy’s social media page at www.facebook.com/bigdaddyandsonsbbq/.
“If you want barbecue, you know where to go now,” Muhammad said with a laugh.
