After opening up at their new location on March 30 of this year, Chicken in a Barrel has settled into their new living quarters – and loving the results. But, if it wasn’t for the writing on the wall, they may have never realized the full potential of the success they have been seeing since the move.

“I have to admit that this was really due to Measure T,” said co-owner (along with her husband Don) Rebekah Havard. “Being on our end of town, we saw our business slow down at our location once everything started taking into effect. We saw a decline and we wouldn’t be in business in another couple years if we didn’t make the move.”

According to Havard, they saw it coming – especially given Don’s position at the Tahoe Keys and seeing many of the homes that once housed visitors to the region, now sit empty.

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“We were ahead of the game,” added Havard. “We knew we had to move.”

That move didn’t come quickly. According to Havard it took them a long time before they ultimately settled on the empty space across from Whole Foods Market (who is also the landlord of the space) – a space that was initially set aside for their own wine and beer market.

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“We thought it was a perfect location because it was next to the hotels, next to the beach, the marina, and next to Ski Run in the winter,” said Havard. “When we started talking to our locals down at the Y, they told us don’t move past Ski Run. So we got keep those guys because we didn’t move past Ski Run, but now getting more of the tourism to come in.”

So far the new location has provided exactly what they hoped. The location is seeing walk-in traffic that the old location didn’t provide and having the anchor of Whole Foods Market has been a game changer.

Havard adds, “People walk in after being in the store. So them coming to go shopping and then coming over here to see us has been a great draw. That’s what we were hoping for and to see it come to fruition has been great.”

“We’ve blown numbers out of the water based on what we were doing over there at this point in time. I think we have the potential to do double than what we were doing at the other place. We’ve already experienced a top selling day in-store.”

The increase in customers is not the only thing that is coming to fruition. While the old location allowed for some limited live music, the layout never really provided the best listening environment. With the new location, options for live music inside and outside are both possible and Havard says she now has people calling them with interest in playing at the restaurant.

In addition to music, the location also provides additional opportunities to host after parties, like in the case of the Tahoe Brewfest where a portion of the parking lot will be blocked off to accommodate a D.J. and additional breweries to hand out swag. Or, in the case of Corona Premier, who will be sponsoring an after party for the celebrity golf tournament with games and additional swag.

With the surface for opportunities barely getting scratched, plans in the mix for possible future events include family nights and being the hub for Raider games once the NFL season starts.

While the location provides a new outlook for the business, don’t worry, the same great food that the restaurant is known for still remains, albeit not quite front and center as before. The barrel cooking the restaurant is famous for is now located inside the restaurant, but with a viewing window for patrons to check out the unique cooking process. The business even has permission from the fire department to have a barrel (non-food cooking) out front so passers-by can still get the whiff of smoke that the community has grown to love.

Even with the current success the business has had out of the gates, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t come without challenges (or needed support from the community). New logistics, retraining staff, the addition of a beer wall, and other items that come along with a new location has the Havards thankful for the patience their patrons have shown.

Havard adds, “When you have a community like Lake Tahoe it’s just been help and help after help – we’re just happy to have that and be able to give back. We can’t do it without each other … this is going to keep Chicken in a Barrel in business”

Chicken in a Barrel BBQ is located at 3600 Lake Tahoe Blvd ste B in South Lake Tahoe, CA. For more information you can reach them by phone at (530) 600-4480 or visit them online at chickeninabarrel.com.