INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — To survive the COVID-19 pandemic, a business in Indian Trail made a major change to its menu, offering barbecue and antiques.
At 100 Main Beef and Barbeque, Danny Schisler is in his 11th year of cooking barbecue. And, customers say he’s pretty good at it.
It all started as a hobby, then Schisler realized his backyard barbecues were becoming popular.
What You Need To Know
Barbecue restaurant turns to antiquing to revitalize unused space and bring in new business
100 Main Beef and Barbeque opened an Indian Trail location last year
Husband and wife owner team hope the new antique store leads to 'BBQ Cracker Barrel' notoriety
“People kept saying, ‘Man that’s really good. That’s really good!’ And I just thought all my buddies just wanted free food,” Schisler joked while out using his grill in front of the restaurant.
So, the hobby turned into a business in downtown Monroe. Eventually, they closed the original restaurant opting to go with their mobile food truck.
The food truck remains extremely popular for business events, festivals and office lunches.
But, Schisler and his wife, Amanda, said they always had their eye on a spot in Indian Trail where they knew there was support.
“They always come out and support us so well. We said, ‘You know what, if anything ever opened up in that area, we should go ahead to try to branch off and do another restaurant,'” Schisler explained.
In May of 2020, they opened their new location on Idlewild Road after working on it since the winter.
Granted, the timing was not great. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, Schisler said they were able to survive and keep the doors open.
“It just kind of slowed things down as far as indoor eating and traffic flow. We do a lot of carry out, we have a drive-thru window, so people are utilizing that. And as far as the private parties go, it just really wasn’t there,” Schisler explained.
Instead, they decided to generate some buzz with the space and got creative.
“We kind of wanted to become, like I said, the antique and country store style type of place. The barbecue ‘Cracker Barrel,’ if you will,” Schisler explained while giving a tour of the new antique space.
They closed the dining room in July of 2021, and completely transformed the space into an antique, country style store. Featuring the old and the new, they hope it brings in a clientele and adds functionality to a space, which was not used often.
“This is brand new, this is something that would hang in guy’s garage or a man cave, something like that,” Schisler said while showing off some of the faux-antique metal signs in the store.
Schisler said the store is a novelty and is bringing in new customers, which is exactly what they were hoping for.
“At the end of the day, that’s what we want to do. Be together, work together, not every couple can do that, but that’s what works for us,” Schisler said about himself and his wife.
Schisler said he and Amanda have traveled to surrounding states to find items for the antique store. Together, the two have put their heart and soul into the business.
Through the long hours smoking and cooking the meat, running the store, hunting for antiques and raising their child, they are determined to keep 100 Main Beef and Barbeque on the streets of Indian Trail for years to come.