New BBQ restaurant makes a promise to Tri-Citians: ‘We will live up to the hype.’
Kristin and Michael Hicks are a couple of ex-Texans who just wanted real, home-style barbecue when they moved to Washington in 2010.
Unable to find it, they started a business in the suburbs of Seattle. Now, thanks to a series of twists and turns, Neighbor’s BBQ calls Kennewick home.
The Hickses debut their Neighbor’s BBQ food trailer to Edison Street Food Park, 5222 W. Okanogan Place, on Friday Feb. 7. The move is partly motivated by a desire to expand the business by relocating to a larger market.
The Neighbor’s BBQ story begins long before the they arrived in Prosser.
It began when the family moved to Bothell, north of Bellevue, when Kristin’s job relocated. Michael Hicks found work in facilities and scouted the area for decent barbecue.
“There was no barbecue to my liking,” he recalled.
He made it his mission to master the basics. He devoured books, videos and any advice he could find. He was his own guinea pig. Gaining confidence, he shared his food at work.
Co-workers liked it enough to order his beef, brisket and other dishes by the pound, transforming his hobby into a part-time catering business.
When he was laid off, it became a full-time job and Neighbor’s BBQ, a veteran-owned business, was born.
Moving to Prosser
The couple decamped from the Seattle area in 2017 after concluding they preferred a warmer climate. They scoured Washington for the best place. They booked Airbnbs in every corner of the state, scrutinized neighborhoods and real estate. Prosser won them over with its charm — and warmth.
The Hickses credit the Prosser Economic Development Association for convincing them to establish Neighbor’s BBQ in a food trailer. The couple commissioned a truck — named Gertie for Michael’s grandmother — from a Portland food truck outfitter.
They hauled it to Prosser in early 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Catering orders they were banking evaporated overnight.
There was a silver lining: People have to eat. They flocked to the food trucks and trailers that adapted to the new world of social distancing.
For the Hickses, the pandemic was both opportunity and challenge. Business boomed, but keeping meat and other foodstuffs in stock was nearly impossible.
Costco Wholesale, one of their vendors, limited how much meat customers could buy amid shortages. They skirted the rules by double shopping — pausing to change clothes in the parking lot between trips inside.
Business grew enough that they decided to make Neighbor’s a restaurant. They sold the trailer to a friend who hauled it to Eagle, Idaho, near Boise.
The truck had a wild ride in the Treasure state. In Prosser, it was a good year if it tallied $250,000 in sales. In Boise, their friend doubled that number in a mere seven months.
A year and a half after selling the trailer, they got a chance to buy it back, somewhat worse for wear. They gave it a good scrubbing and contemplated putting it back into action.
Edison beckons
The couple considered their options. Boise was one, but relocation expenses scuttled their plan. The Tri-Cities with its 300,000+ people, beckoned.
They chose a spot at Edison Food Truck Park in Kennewick and announced the move on social media. The Edison spot has a somewhat spotty history. Several previous trucks — Chug Soda and Local Bite & Tropic Thunder — moved in, then out. Local Bite changed owners and moved to Summer’s Hub.
The Hickses are not troubled. They love the unobstructed view to and from Edison. Barbecue, they said, is a niche product. Customers seek it out. Many of their regulars in Prosser drove in from the Tri-Cities.
“I promise you we will live up to the hype,” said Michael Hicks.
The Hickses held onto the Prosser restaurant and are using its kitchen as a commissary to support their new Kennewick venture.
They’re so confident in their choice that they’ve made a joke of their new address: “5222 W. Okanogan Place, NOT THE HUB.”
They believe their business will stand on its own without being part of a busy crowd.. And they wanted to be able to move the trailer as they see fit, which the crowded conditions at The Hub don’t always allow.
They signed a six-month lease for their new spot and vowed that they’re going to see what happens before contemplating their next step.
No cherries or apples, please
Michael Hicks said he’s no cook, just a man who set out to master the basics of the barbecue that’s readily available at modest restaurants back home.
Simple, unfussy.
He seasons meat with salt and pepper and smokes it over oak. It’s far more expensive than the cherry and apple wood that is cheap and abundant in Eastern Washington courtesy the local orchard industry. He figures he spends four times more for oak than it would cost to buy local.
But it makes a difference.
“(Apple and cherry) don’t have the flavor profile I want,” she said.
The keep-it-simple approach carries through the rest of the menu, which is made from scratch, including the bread.
Kristin Hicks said it takes discipline to hold the line on basics such as potato salad. There’s always a chef who wants to “chef things up” with unnecessary flourishes, like cilantro.
Why, she wondered, would she add an ingredient tastes soapy to some people.
“I’m cooking for the masses,” she said.
If you go
In addition to barbecue basics such as a beef brisket sandwich, pulled port, sides and sweet tea, Neighbor’s BBQ is offering a student special in a nod to Kamiakin High School and the Tri-Tech Skills Center, both nearby.
A cup of macaroni and cheese topped with pulled pork and barbecue sauce and a drink is $10, with student ID.
Business hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Wednesday to Saturday, or until it sells out. Follow Neighbor’s BBQ on Facebook or Instagram.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 7:00 AM.