RQ BBQ - a Family and Gluten-Free Friendly Space

Owners Ron Rupp and JoAnn Rupp had a singular purpose in opening RQ BBQ - make barbeque that was healthier without losing the BBQ flavor.
"That's why our tagline is BBQ with a fresher perspective," Ron Rupp said. "We really, really dug deep into what the customer wanted."
What the customers wanted included designing a kids plate that divided the servings into types - protein, starch, etc. It also included making locally-sourced food a priority (their meat comes from Indiana) and creating sauces in their own kitchen instead of using ones that already existed on the market.
"Everything that was developed was developed to be a round profile," Ron Rupp said of the flavors in the nine available sauces.
RQ BBQ, at 643 Brook Forest Avenue in Shorewood, might seem at first like it is a franchise. But it is not.
"We are family-owned and we are locally-sourced," JoAnn Rupp said.
And she too not only listened to customers, but friends weighed in as well.
"It was about locally-sourced, fresh ingredients," she said. "The GF was a big deal because I have a lot of friends in the neighborhoods whose kids have Celiac (Disease)."
Gluten-free customers can select GF buns or GF wraps for their sandwiches and all of the sauces are gluten-free as well.
The Rupps created a menu with variety. In addition to ribs and pulled pork - standards in the area of BBQ -  they have turkey and chicken as well as sides such as beans and a white bean chicken chili. Those meats can be combined with up to nine sauces.
JoAnn Rupps favorite selection is the chicken with the white sauce on an oat bun. Her second favorite is an even healthier selection - the salmon.
The restaurant has an open-concept kitchen and they smoke their meats on site for 12 to 14 hours on 210 degrees. The meat then rests in high tech equipment that keeps the moisture in the meat.
RQ BBQ is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Saturday. They deliver to the area or you can dine in or pick up. You can visit the Web site by clicking here.