Squealer’s Smoke Shack Bar & Grill started as a food truck with a 250-square-foot trailer, to a 2,300-square-foot full service restaurant, to an over 6,000-square-foot destination with a restaurant, rooftop patio, and volleyball courts.
“We never even imagined we would be to this point,” said co-owner Andrea Kuipers of the Tea business. “Going from construction and child welfare and human resources to food was a huge jump for all of us [in 2014]. It just started out as a hobby with people who loved to smoke food.”
605 arrived at Squealer’s new location during its Back to School Parents’ Day event, which was held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., to celebrate parents on the first day of school with sand volleyball, bean bags, and food and drink specials.
“[My husband Dustin and I] had this idea of expanding to a bigger, more fun, family-friendly location for four years,” recalled Andrea. “We knew we wanted some major outdoor space, which is why we have two garage doors that both open up at the same time to give an indoor-outdoor feeling.”
FACT
Squealer’s original smoker could hold up to 1,000 pounds of meat at a time.
Also new is the ability to serve items like burgers, flatbreads, and pasta with the building’s grill and ventilation system. Andrea says the Chicken Alfredo has been popular, which has cavatappi pasta in house creamy alfredo sauce, topped with shredded parmesan cheese, and guests can add chicken, veggies, or shrimp.
“The Alfredo is [general manager] Roxie Stanga’s homemade recipe for the sauce, and it has a white wine in it, and it’s absolutely delicious,” she said.
Speaking of pasta and burgers, the macaroni has been a bestseller, and the two have been combined for the Mac Attack, which is a one-third pound cheeseburger topped with homemade mac and cheese.
The Shrimp Tacos have also been a hit.
“[The Shrimp Tacos] are by far one of my favorites, because it’s something new,” said Andrea. “We started out with all smoked meats, and the tacos are something completely different. It’s a new twist on things, and there is our original recipe of our coleslaw on top of the shrimp and then we use a barbecue buffalo sauce on top, as well.”
More On The Menu
APPETIZERS
Pretzel Cheese Balls
Breaded white cheddar curds battered in a zesty pretzel batter served with homemade ranch for dipping.
BASKETS
Chislic
All beef chislic seasoned with house garlic blend and served with ranch.
FLATBREADS
Buffalo Chicken
Roasted garlic naan flatbread crust topped with house spicy buffalo chicken and covered in mozzarella cheese, drizzled in ranch.
SALADS
Lettuce Wraps
Patrons’ choice, with romaine lettuce, served with chicken, bacon, tomato, and shredded cheese with a side of peanut sauce.
BURGERS
Hay Stacker
One-third-pound angus patty topped with nacho cheese, jalapeños, and onion rings.
SANDWICHES & WRAPS
Memphis
Signature pulled pork topped with house creamy homemade coleslaw.
PASTA
Loaded Mac ‘n Cheese
Homemade mac and cheese topped with a choice of meat. Served with garlic bread and choice of soup or salad.
DINNERS & MORE
Combo Dinner
Four bones of house-smoked baby back ribs, a pulled pork sandwich, a brisket sandwich, dinner salad, and one side.
There are also sandwiches and wraps, including the French Dip, which has prime rib smoked and shaved on top of a hoagie-style bun with provolone cheese and au jus.
The family-friendly location is also a place to grab a cocktail, like the Blue Titan with Malibu Mango Rum, blue curaçao, lemon-lime soda, and pineapple juice.
There is a bar inside the main dining room, and there is an outdoor bar area with more seating. Soon there will also be a bar space on the rooftop patio, which will be full service for food and can seat up to 85 patrons. Until the patio is officially open, there are weekly rooftop yoga events held at sunrise (check Squealer’s Facebook for event updates).
Squealer’s is also host to volleyball leagues Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights.
“When we built this, we knew we wanted volleyball courts because we both are big into sand volleyball,” said Andrea. “We have about 14 teams that come in for [volleyball league].”
After years in the making, Andrea says Squealer’s is proof of just going for your dreams.
“After a lot of years of planning, consideration, and figuring it out, we decided to just go for it. And here we are.”
