COVID or not, Utah restaurant chain is ‘full swing’ on Idaho. Meridian opening set. Boise’s next.

R&R BBQ wasn’t just blowin’ smoke about coming to Idaho this year.

While other restaurant brands are cooling their jets during the COVID pandemic, the growing Utah chain is turning up the heat.

In Meridian, “construction is in full swing,” said Alonso Castañeda, VP of brand development and strategy for Savory Management, which operates R&R.

A restaurant at The Village at Meridian is set to open the week of Nov. 16, Castañeda confirmed in an email update this week. Idahoans will see a “coming in November” sign on the building at 3680 E. Fairview Ave. within days, he said. Previously, R&R BBQ had targeted a potential August debut.

A second R&R BBQ in downtown Boise is slated for early 2021, he added. That restaurant, located next to Tupelo Honey on the second floor of the Main + Marketplace building, could be open three or four months after the Meridian store, Castañeda said. Both locations are slated to be around 4,000 square feet.

With a total of eight restaurants, all in Utah, R&R is popular for its menu of smoked ribs and chicken, pulled pork sandwiches, beef brisket and belly-filling sides. It was founded by twin brothers Rod and Roger Livingston, who racked up awards on the barbecue circuit before opening their first restaurant in 2011 in Salt Lake City.

The Livingstons announced their retirement this year. But growth plans for R&R already were cooking. The fast-casual brand has the financial backing of Savory Fund, a newly created, $90 million investment force. Savory also powers Utah-based Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, which opened a Meridian store in 2019.

This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 3:09 PM.