Gettin' Basted fills chain restaurant vacancy

Five years after opening its first brick-and-mortar eatery in Branson, Gettin’ Basted has expanded north to the Queen City.

The barbecue restaurant opened April 15 at 3242 S. Stewart Ave., a vacant TGI Fridays building, said Tammy Zachary, who co-owns the venture with Brad Leighninger, Derrick Melugin and Jason Roberts. The building faces Glenstone Avenue along a busy restaurant and retail corridor. It’s the third Gettin’ Basted for the owners, who added a Nixa location early last year.

Zachary said opening in Springfield was a long-term goal, but the opportunity came earlier than expected. The owners were contacted about filling the roughly 5,000-square-foot building formerly occupied by TGI Fridays, which shuttered last year, she said.

“It was kind of in the plans to do it, but not really at this very moment,” she said. “But because of the space opening up … we went ahead and moved forward with it.”

It’s the second Springfield restaurant for the ownership group, which teamed up with franchisee Matt Arnall for the August 2020 opening of Downing Street Pour House at 1724 E. Battlefield Road. Zachary said Arnall also is franchisee for the new Gettin’ Basted.

Startup costs were around $250,000, she said, declining to disclose lease terms.

Gettin’ Basted’s menu includes smoked brisket, pulled pork, link sausage, wings, wagyu burgers, sandwiches and salads.

“In the Springfield market, we really want to showcase the bar,” Zachary said of plans to feature whiskey and moonshine.

Around 40 staff the new eatery, Zachary said, noting as many as 35 more employees are needed.

The new Gettin’ Basted restaurant is a return to Springfield for the owners, who originally started the venture as a food truck in the now shuttered SGF Mobile Food Park. Roberts, Melugin and Leighninger had previously teamed up for years of competition barbecue. The trio has won dozens of championships, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Zachary said next up for the owners is Bahama Buck’s, a Lubbock, Texas-based venture that specializes in shaved ice and other frozen nonalcoholic beverages. The ownership group became Bahama Buck’s franchisees for the Branson and Springfield market earlier this year, she said, adding they plan to open a Branson location this fall next to their Gettin’ Basted restaurant on Highway 76.

Bahama Buck’s has a $29,500 franchise fee, as well as ongoing 6% royalty and 2% advertising fees, according to its website.