Charlie Sibley (center) along with his son, Mike (right), Chris Milano (left), and Sonny Thompson (not pictured) transformed the former Country Store into the new, spacious Sibley’s BBQ Restaurant.

The four-month wait – though some regulars may argue that it felt much longer – is over: Sibley’s BBQ is open in its new location.

Since opening on October 6, the business has been “unbelievably wonderful,” says owner Charlie Sibley. “We stay full whenever we’re open.”  Patty Munson, Sibley’s manager, notes that she’s seen a steady stream of people in and out of the restaurant.

“All last week, we were just as busy at 3 p.m. as we were at lunch,” she says.

That’s to be expected, though: Sibley was inundated with questions from customers as soon as he closed his original location in the Chester Village Shopping Center. Though he couldn’t say for sure when he’d be opening again, his customers were still clamoring for answers.

And now that the restaurant is open again, Sibley says he’s seeing a lot of his regular customers again. “We get a lot of new people, too,” he adds. “I see new faces every day.”

Trying to pin Sibley’s success on any one reason, says Munson, is impossible. “I’d say the reputation of his product and his business reputation are big factors,” she says. “He’s the most respected man I know, and that says something. I think you have to have a certain rapport with people, and he has that with me, his customers, and his employees.”

In fact, all of the original employees stayed on while Sibley’s was closed for the move. “I didn’t lose a one over four months,” says Sibley.

Customers, too, have remained loyal to Sibley’s. “We used to go to the old location all the time,” says Betty Barry. “Their food is delicious – I love the flavor of it. And they’re pretty reasonable with their prices.”

Beverly Egell, who often visited the original location with her husband, adds, “I like that this location is bigger. It’s very pretty and open.”

Though Sibley’s new location means a few changes for the restaurant – most notably an expanded seating capacity of 66, a bigger kitchen, and a second smoker – Sibley is making sure one thing doesn’t change: the menu.

“Customers say they’re glad we didn’t change,” he says. “They’re glad we still have the same food.”

When it comes to the success of his new location, Sibley is quick to hand the credit off to others: his employees and his family.

“My son Mike is a cabinet builder, and he and the staff at Sibley’s Custom Cabinetry did all of the woodwork here,” he says. “It would have been a lot of work if I hadn’t had him, so he helped tremendously. And my daughter Blair and her husband Steve, who live in North Carolina, came up every weekend for four months to help with the restaurant. My wife and I couldn’t have done it without them.” He also credits friend Sonny Thompson for his invaluable welding assistance.

“What Charlie has is a good product, fair pricing, and good service,” says Patty Munson. “And in this case, he has an excellent location. But if they could find him in that shopping center, they can certainly find him here!”

Sibley’s BBQ is located at 12000 Winfree St. in the former home of the Country Store and is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. For more information, call 748-3299.

ereel@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

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