Wes' Rib House is back. See what the new owners have planned
Wes' Rib House, a restaurant with a long history, is again open in Providence in the Olneyville neighborhood, bringing more barbecue back to RI after a couple of restaurant closures in 2023 .
The name is the only thing that remains of the original restaurant which began smoking almost 50 years ago. Today's Wes' Rib House is at 38 Dike St.
"We kept the name because it's part of Rhode Island," said Michael Santos, one of the new owners. "The branding was there."
Santos, who grew up in nearby Massachusetts, went to Johnson & Wales University. He said he has many memories of Wes'.
Early days at Wes'
It was on Oct. 5, 1976, that Wes Brewton opened the House of Bar-B-Q at 844 Broad St. in South Providence. Things were great into the '80s, but then the economy was tanking and he shuttered the business. With partner Michael Solomon, Brewton opened Wes' Rib House in 1983 in Olneyville. Brewton had long been out of the business when he died in 2016.
Solomon, the former city council member, ran the business until September 2022.
Who are the new owners of Wes' Rib House?
There are new owners now, the team from Providence Coal Fired Pizza who operate under the Crisp Restaurant Group. They include Santos, Dave Bertolini and Ed Restivo. They've made a big investment in Providence.
The three joined with other partners, including their landlord Michael Solomon, to open Providence Coal Fired Pizza, 385 Westminster St., Providence in 2012.
Two more pizzerias followed including one at 6105 Post Road in North Kingstown and a third one in Westerly that has since closed. They opened the speakeasy Barnaby's Public House at their 385 Westminster St., Providence location as well.
A month before COVID-19 shut the world down, Santos and Bertolini bought the restaurant and brewery where they both worked many years earlier – Union Station Brewery at 36 Exchange Terrace, Providence. Santos was general manager at Union Station Brewery from 2000 to 2005 and Bertolini was the chef.
They had a dishwasher named Juan Batz who worked up to sous chef. He is now the chef at the new Wes' Rib House.
The new Wes' Rib House
The restaurant is housed in the building with boutique hotel Dye House, owned by Everett Abitbol. He wanted to partner with restaurateurs to run Wes'. Santos' Crisp group took over the restaurant in September 2022 and closed it for renovations.
They gutted the kitchen to update with all new systems. They bought a "giant smoker" and built a pit. All their barbecue is smoked and then finished on the pit, over hickory wood by longtime pitmaster Kenny McKen.
They did some cosmetic work on the second floor, including new lighting. That space will be a live music venue on the weekends and a room for private parties. It seats 80.
They also renovated the first-floor dining room and bar, adding televisions. There are 20 seats at the bar and about 90 seats at tables.
What's on the menu at Wes'
There are classic barbecue dishes of ribs and pulled pork plus sides of cornbread, mac and cheese, baked beans and collard greens. Chili and chicken wings are also on the menu.
"The ribs are technically called Pork Spare Ribs," said Santos. "They are a larger rib with more meat on the bone. They are what you get before they are trimmed down to make the St. Louis Rib."
Waffle fries, a popular choice on long ago Wes' menus, are also featured, said Santos. Chef Batz is using his recipes for the barbecue and the rest of the menu as Brewton's had disappeared over time, he added.
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For the time being, the restaurant is serving dinner from 4 to 11 p.m. on Thursday and Monday and offering lunch and dinner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Being open seven days a week is the future plan once they get through the opening bumps.
Learn more at wesribhouse.com and follow their music lineup on Instagram .
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Wes' Rib House reopens in Providence but only the name is the same
