FOLSOM, Calif. — A new barbecue restaurant has found its home in Folsom.
Marcus and Katie Randolph first workshopped the idea of Belly BBQ in late 2019 and early 2020, but the pandemic pushed them back. Now, Marcus Randolph tells ABC10 they plan to open the Southern-style restaurant in May
Randolph said he was born and raised in Georgia, and Belly BBQ will be an extension of his family and Southern heritage.
He and his wife moved to Folsom 11 years ago after he accepted a job at Intel Corp.’s Folsom campus. He was a lead engineer on Microsoft Surface tablets.
Randolph worked for Intel up until October 2023, when he made the decision to walk away to start in the restaurant business. He said his family has not yet found food that tastes like home.
“I’ve been missing it,” he said. “We wanted to bring that to Sacramento from Georgia.”
He said the restaurant will offer barbecue from a 1,000-gallon smoker currently being constructed in Roseville and a 500-gallon smoker from Texas already fashioned in the building. Sides include greens, macaroni and cheese, cornbread, creamed corn and beans.
The Randolphs hope to hire three additional employees at the start: a second pitmaster to man the smoker, a waiter and a cook. Marcus Randolph said he is a pitmaster himself.
“What I’ve found in the Folsom and Sacramento area is there is a pretty diverse population here,” Randolph said. "Everyone is so welcome. Everyone is so helpful. They made me feel like I was home. They’ve made this such an easier transition for us. There are so many cuisines here, and they’re thriving cuisines.”
Belly BBQ will be located at 1760 Prairie City Rd., Suite 120.
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