Bizz Buzz: Saucy's Walkup keeps on trucking

When you're trying to find a place to eat barbecue, chances are a bright orange shipping container won't be the first place you look.

But in Petersburg, that's exactly where you'll find one of the area's newest barbecue joints: Saucy's Walkup.

"We wanted to do something a little different," said Tom McCormack, the artist, developer, musician and Petersburg resident who owns Saucy's.

The container, which is parked at Bollingbrook and Fifth streets in Petersburg's Old Towne, is a hip new addition to the area.

Saucy's is the extension of the food truck trend that has made its mark in cities in California, Oregon and New York. The trucks are an inexpensive way for many chefs to get their food out in front of customers without having to put a lot of money into opening actual restaurants.

Instead of going with a truck, McCormack wanted something stationary. As an artist who works with metal, he thought a large metal shipping container was the perfect space and Petersburg the perfect place.

"There's so much opportunity to create something here," McCormack said.

McCormack found the 20-foot by 8-foot shipping container through a friend and spent four months converting it into his kitchen. The cooking is done on two smokers behind the container, but inside there are refrigerators, serving stations and most of the other amenities found at traditional restaurants, only smaller. Because the restaurant is not conventional, he worked with the health department throughout to make sure it met all codes.

McCormack cut into the container to install an ordering window. Menus are written on large metal sheets. Leading up to the container are neatly carved gravel pathways.

To help bring the food to life, Womack brought along friend Erich Wolfgang, who has been cooking barbecue for years.

McCormack said Saucy's doesn't adhere to one traditional barbecue style but blends several and adds its own touch to the sauces. He calls what they do "mutt" barbecue.

Since the restaurant opened in late September, the clientele has been steadily growing.

"People stop to see what's going on," he said of the container. "But they come back for the food."

Southside

Michael & Son has just completed the purchase of a new building in Chesterfield County.

The Northern Virginia-based heating, electrical and plumbing company is expected to move into the new digs next month, according to James Ashby, a commercial real estate broker for Thalhimer/Cushman & Wakefield, who brokered the deal.

The space, at 11016 Midlothian Turnpike just east of Chesterfield Towne Center, is 4,000 square feet and was previously occupied by Royal Auto Brokers. The car dealer closed last year.

Michael & Son began expanding into the Richmond market this year.

Wing chain's

East Coast Wings & Grill is expanding into the Richmond area.

The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based chain of restaurants expects to open two full size locations here by late summer or early fall, said Sam Ballas, CEO of the company. East Coast Wings also is looking at opening a smaller location that would primarily serve takeout customers.

East Coast Wings has 16 restaurants in North Carolina, with 14 others in the pipeline, Ballas said. A location in Roanoke is expected to open early next year.

The company is talking with potential franchise operators in the Richmond area, Ballas said. He expects to have a deal in place during the first quarter of the year and for site selection to begin shortly thereafter.

Ballas said that the chain is expanding after sales at existing locations grew for 26 consecutive quarters. In the third quarter of this year, sales grew 16.8 percent compared with the same period the previous year.

East Coast Wings offers 675 flavor combinations as well as sandwiches, wraps, fajitas and salads. Ballas said the chain tries to separate itself from other wing-themed restaurants by having fewer seats at bars and catering to families. For example, alcohol sales last year generated less than 12 percent of all revenue.