Having made its name in Freeport, Buck’s Naked BBQ is planning an expansion to the Lakes Region.
In August, Buck’s owners Wendyll and Alex Caisse purchased the Maine Bean Bakehouse & Deli building from Tom and Pam Saunders. Plans are to start renovating, or “funkify,” the building after Maine Bean exits Friday, Jan. 15.
“We are so excited. We’ll start renovating right away. Right now it’s very nice, but we’ll turn it into something very funky with lots of big, cool art things to look at,” Wendyll Caisse said on Wednesday.
The Caisses are no rookies when it comes to running restaurants. The couple has owned restaurants since 1989 and started Buck’s in Freeport in 2005.
“We believe the Buck’s concept will mesh with the need in the area,” Wendyll Caisse said. “We like the demographics, we like the lake, and we like how Windham is pushing for strong economic development.”
Caisse is a member of the Freeport Economic and Development Corporation and is also on Freeport’s Planning Board. Her husband Alex is a member of the state, regional and national BBQ Society.
The Caisses expects to open the new restaurant in late February or early March. The menu will be similar to Freeport’s, with steaks and slow-cooked BBQ chicken, pork, beef and sausage as the main attractions. Buck’s serves its barbecued meat without sauce, or “naked,” allowing patrons to add their own from a wide range of choices.
“I’d say our signature is Baby Back Ribs,” Wendyll Caisse said. “Everything is cooked on site. We have the capacity to cook 400 pounds of meat a day.”
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