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Date: 5/10/2023
LONGMEADOW — It is a little upscale steakhouse, a little barbecue joint. According to owner and pit master Bill Fletcher, a review said Fletcher’s BBQ Shop & Steakhouse had an identity crisis. “I love that,” he said with a laugh.
“We’re a little weird,” Fletcher said. “We’re serving barbecue, which is sticky and messy, and we’re serving filets on black plates with a steak knife. You have a linen tablecloth and the person across the table has a roll of paper towels. You can get ribs and barbecue, but you can also get barbecue ramen.”
Executive chef Joseph Raymond, who worked at MGM Springfield’s Chandler’s Steakhouse prior to Fletcher’s BBQ Shop & Steakhouse, comes from a background of high-end kitchens, Fletcher said. He said that adds to the quality of dishes and their presentation. “The menu’s pretty broad, so you can come back several times and have a different experience.”
Fletcher noted, “I think everyone wants to categorize you. We’re unique, for sure.” He said and asked that people in the community keep an open mind.
The addition of Fletcher’s BBQ Shop & Steakhouse to Longmeadow’s eatery landscape was a two-year process. After closing a successful restaurant in New York City to move to Longmeadow where his then-fiancée lived, Fletcher was faced with the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, followed by a holdup in construction due to a backlog of projects.
Based on the first week of business, the community seems to be interested in finally seeing what the restaurant has to offer.
“We opened on a Sunday, which is a weird day to open,” Fletcher said. “We got totally rocked.” There were about 200 customers and he said of his staff, “Everybody did an amazing job.”
The next evening, he expected to have a much smaller crowd, as Monday is typically the slowest day for restaurants. However, he said, “At 6:30-7 p.m., we were running out of half the barbecue.”
Fletcher “strongly suggested” making a reservation early. “If you make an 8:30 or 9 p.m. reservation, I guarantee we’ll be out of at least a few barbecue items.” That is because barbecue restaurants do not run the way most restaurant kitchens do. “It’s a cultural thing. It takes us all day to make the food and what we have is what we have,” Fletcher said. He said pulled pork and brisket both take 18 hours to make.
Fletcher’s BBQ Shop & Steakhouse has a selection of wines to pair with dinner, and almost all are available by the glass. The thing that makes the wine selection special, Fletcher said, is that about half of them as “funky, really weird, unfiltered and pair really, really well with dense brisket.” There is also beer on the tap and liquors available. He said, “I love bourbon and barbecue.”
Fletcher described the bar area as “a loud, fun environment. My hope is it becomes a community hangout.” After the excitement dies down, Fletcher said he would like it to become a place where people can stop after work to have ribs and a beer.
Fletcher’s BBQ Shop & Steakhouse, 408 Longmeadow St., opens at 4:30 p.m. and closes at 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sunday and Monday, and 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.