Family brings barbecue business to Williamsfield
The Bitten family opened Underground Backyard BBQ in January of this year. The Williamsfield restaurant serves brisket and other barbecue dishes.
When Tony Bitten and his family moved to central Illinois, they brought their barbecue business to the Elmwood Farmers Market. A building across Main Street often caught his eye, but Bitten said the space was taken.
Eventually the family opened Underground Backyard BBQ at 102 E. Gale St. in Williamsfield.
The opportunity to expand into the eye-catching space recently arose, and Bitten said, “We jumped at the opportunity.” He hopes to open UBQ Barbecue & Steakhouse at 118 E. Main St. in Elmwood in the coming weeks.
The multi-story building will provide the family business with plenty of opportunities to grow. The menu will be expanded to include new dishes and Bitten will become a gathering place for the community.
Bitten said the Williamsfield location will also continue, calling the restaurant’s original space the company’s “home base.”
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A “really beautiful” room
Logos and signage for the new restaurant were put up and a fresh coat of paint brightened the walls. Overall, though, Bitten said, not much work was needed.
“It’s really beautiful,” Bitten said of the room.
What impressed Bitten most was the second floor, which features a ballroom and a cocktail lounge tucked into an adjacent space. Once the building opens, Bitten hopes to take advantage of the building’s capabilities to host events there.
Down in the basement, he also plans to add a play area for children and possibly a pool table for adults. Additionally, Bitten said, the restaurant will have a bar on the ground floor to broadcast popular sporting events.
“We want the whole family to come and just spend a day,” he said. “We want it to be an experience.”
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Quick lunches and steak dinners
The Elmwood restaurant will also offer expanded lunch and dinner menus. Bitten said there will be new dishes such as burgers, pizza and chicken wings.
For lunch, Bitten said the menu will focus primarily on quick bites and bar food. He said customers will also find pulled chicken and pulled beef – which are also available at the Williamsfield restaurant.
“Most people are driving through. They don’t have time to actually sit down and eat a meal…” Bitten said. “And if they do, if they’re working, they only have an hour for lunch – so you have to put together something quick and easy.”
Bitten said the dinner menu will include new dishes like steak, salmon and lamb. He said customers will also find Underground Backyard BBQ classics like beef brisket.
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The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday and Sunday and closed on Monday and Saturday. Bitten plans to open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As the opening approaches, Bitten encouraged the community to keep an eye on the restaurant’s Facebook page for updates and announcements. He said his family has been “truly blessed” by the community’s support for the business so far.
“They have supported us from the beginning – when we were still in the park across the street – so I am really grateful to them,” he said.
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