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Oneonta's Favorite Barbecue

        Ask anyone in Oneonta what the best restaurant in town is, and chances are that they’re going to send you straight to the front door of Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q. Or you could just follow the intoxicating smell of fresh barbecue and the trail of smoke that lingers over Route 7 when the kitchen is in full swing. The restaurant, which people flock to today from all over, first opened its doors in 1965, and it has since become a staple of the local community.
       Now famous all over New York for its sweet and tangy chicken, its barbequed ribs, and its pulled pork sandwiches, Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q, like many family owned retaurants, came from humble beginnings. In the early 1940’s, Griffin and Frances Brooks raised chickens on a poultry farm in Stamford, New York. They began selling the meat and eggs from their chickens, and soon enough they had opened their own retail store on their farm and began catering barbecues throughout the summer months. 
       After a few years of catering barbecues and operating a successful concession stand, the Brooks’ were able to purchase a plot of land on Route 7 and open the doors to the very first Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q on June 10, 1961, a dream that they had hoped accomplish for years.
      This initial restaurant was built with a seating capacity of 80 people and was operated by a small staff of only about 15 people. However, the restaurant began doing so well that by 1965 the Brooks’ were ready for an upgrade, and so they rebuilt the restaurant as it stands today, with a seating capacity of 300 and, during the summer months, a staff of over 100 people. The remodeled Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q also boasts the largest indoor charcoal barbecue pit in the east, standing at 38 feet long, according to their website. 
      Although Griffin and Frances are no longer the owners of the restaurant, the famous barbecue house has managed to remain a family operated business. The two barbecue progenitors sold the restaurant in 1975 to their son John and his wife, Joan. The couple took good care of the restaurant and Brooks’ continued to grow alongside the local colleges and the city of Oneonta, gaining a reputation as one of the best barbecue joints in the area.
      Ryan, the son of John and Joan, took on the responsibility of owning and operating the restaurant alongside his own wife, Beth, in 2005, making them the third generation of the Brooks’ family to own and operate the successful restaurant. Since Ryan and Beth have taken over, the restaurant has continued to expand its business, opening an ice cream shop and a gift boutique, as well as opening their own sauce production plant. 
      In the past two years, the restaurant has expanded the size of their sauce plant and the family has opened the Brooks’ Bottling Company, expanding, for the first time, into a business outside of food production. 
      Rachael Ray, the world famous chef, author, and television host, visited the Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q in 2002 as part of her Food Network program $40 a Day. Ray praised the sweet and tangy chicken that has helped to make Brooks’ so famous, and the down-home atmosphere and friendliness that has helped to make the restaurant such a well loved part of the Oneonta community.
      Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q and the Brooks family are famous for more than just racks of ribs and slow cooked chicken. The business is also well known for being active in the community of Oneonta, often catering or hosting various events.
      In 2013, the restaurant offered to cater for the Oneonta Alumni Reunion Weekend, when hundreds of alumni and their parents and friends returned to SUNY Oneonta for three days of festivities, including awards ceremonies, golf and tennis tournaments, and an art exhibit featuring the works of alumni.
      More recently, on December 4th, Brooks’ invited everyone in the area to come down to the restaurant between 5:30 and 7:30pm for a chance to meet with Santa Claus. This was the first year that the Brooks’ restaurant had put on an event like this, and according to their Facebook page, the night was quite a success. Brooks’ is hoping that the event will become an annual tradition.
      Other events that the Brooks’ restaurant has been a part of include a children’s pumpkin carving contest at the end of October where the winner is awarded a $25 Brooks’ gift card, as well as catering a number of the festivals, fairs, and events that are set up on Main Street in Oneonta over the course of the year. 
       The restaurant has received reviews close to five stars on almost every site where patrons can provide feedback on their food-service experience. The restaurant almost always receives positive reviews for both their food and their hospitality. Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q currently holds a 4.7-star rating on Facebook, a 4-star rating on both TripAdvisor and Yelp, and 4.2-star rating out of 61 reviews on Google. One particular review on TripAdvisor reads, “Brooks’ BBQ is worth a 3-hour drive. Known for its barbecued chicken, (that’s all I’ve ever eaten there), this restaurant is definitely on my top 10. Easily the best BBQ chicken I have ever had. Great place whether solo, with the family, or hanging out with the guys. I strongly recommend Brooks’ chicken.”
       Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q is a well-loved piece of the Oneonta community. Their food and hospitality are famous all over New York and people come from all over just for the experience of the restaurant. The restaurant seems to be doing very well, and if the past fifty years are any indication, Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q will continue to satisfy any customers that pass through their doors.