Stacy Phipps is having a tough year. The owner and pit master of Stacy's Smokehouse says the second location of his barbecue joint in Scottsdale, which closed at the beginning of the year and was only open for around six months, cost him around $120,000.
"I had customers, but I didn't have enough," Phipps tells me. "And I made some bad decisions regarding the rent and making upgrades to the place."
And since January, Phipps says he's no longer involved with the original location of Stacy's Smokehouse, the purple building in east Phoenix, just off State Route 51, where he relocated from Jefferson Street in 2008. Phipps' wife is now overseeing the business (and keeping the name).
"The food is there, but the originator is here," Phipps tells me.
"Here" is in Sunnyslope. Where on Monday, Phipps opened his barbecue joint for the fourth time.
Called Stacy's Pit Stop BBQ, the building is located on 8510 Seventh Street (Seventh Street and Butler), in the former home of Two Hippies Beach House and Grill. Phipps says that although he likes the small space (customers can get their 'cue to-go or eat it on the patio), there's lots of work to be done like putting in a new patio with a television (for watching football games), painting the exterior, and installing air conditioning in the kitchen.
The menu is primarily a carry-over from the original location -- meats like hot links, brisket, and chicken covered in Phipps' sweet, rich sauce, plus sandwiches and sides -- but Phipps tells me he's planning on adding new and seasonal items like jerk chicken with coconut rice and etouffee (a throwback from his defunct downtown soul food restaurant) in the coming months.
Check out Stacy's Pit Stop BBQ menu below, and make sure to bring the green stuff. For now, it's a cash-only establishment.
