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A coming soon sign outside of the new Kaiser's Barbecue location on East State Street
[Maria Monesi | WOUB]

After a series of delays, Kiser’s Barbecue may soon open at new location

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) – Kiser’s Barbeque is in the early stages of construction at its new location on East State Street with hopes of opening in the coming months.

The family owned restaurant closed its location in the Athens mall when its lease ended in February 2020 and put off opening a new location because of the pandemic. 

“I think at that point in time, we knew it was best to probably not worry about opening,” owner Sean Kiser said. “I had two children, seven and three at the time, so we knew that day care was kind of going through the same thing so there was no child care.”

Since then, it has been a waiting game.

Construction workers are busy remodeling the new location for Kaiser's Barbecue in the old Veterans of Foreign Wars building on East State Street in Athens.
Construction workers are busy remodeling the new location for Kiser’s Barbecue in the old Veterans of Foreign Wars building on East State Street in Athens. [Maria Monesi | WOUB]
A long search to find a new home included a location on West Union Street. After that deal fell through, the family landed on the old Veterans of Foreign Wars building near the Highway 33 overpass. They purchased it in October 2021. 

“It was a little bit out of what we wanted to spend,” Kiser said. “But at the same time, great location. Probably going from the worst location maybe to the most prime location in Athens, so we’re excited about it.”

The family hung up a coming soon sign in late October and got started on remodeling plans. Then came a series of obstacles.

“The amount of work that it took to get the mall open wasn’t that bad,” Kiser said. “So it only took us a couple months and then we were able to open. I was kind of expecting a little bit longer here.”

The family had planned to open late spring or early summer, but the project requires several state and local permits that have taken some time to receive.

Last week, the state granted Kiser’s a key permit needed to move forward. It covers plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, and roofing. A permit for hood systems is still in the works. 

One thing the family won’t have to worry about is the restaurant equipment. A broker ordered equipment back in October knowing the delivery time would likely be six to eight months. It has since arrived, leaving one less thing that needs to be done. 

If all goes as planned, the hope is to open in the late summer or early fall. The menu remains similar to what it was at the mall location, but new vegetarian options are in the works along with some different sides.