SOUTH PORTLAND – The second Moe’s Original Bar B Que restaurant in Maine recently opened on Western Avenue in South Portland and the SoPo Bar & Grill, located on Broadway, will be opening soon.

Owners of both restaurants say they chose the locations because of the high-traffic volume and the ready-made customer base, from families to office workers. Both restaurants also plan to offer good meals at reasonable rates.

Dewey Hasbrouck, owner of Moe’s, said since the restaurant’s soft opening on Oct. 10, “we’ve had a great response – mostly word of mouth and many repeat customers already. A lot of folks who have visited our Bangor location have (also) made the trek to South Portland, as well.”

Hasbrouck said another reason he was drawn to South Portland is that, “People in this area certainly appreciate good food, so we thought bringing some Alabama style (barbecue) might round out the current offerings and give people a place they could feed their families at an affordable price point.”

He conceded that the Portland area already has “some great barbecue restaurants,” but that one of the things that makes Moe’s stand out is its commitment to the southern barbecue style of cooking.

“While we certainly tout ourselves as Alabama style (barbecue), we (also) integrate some North Carolina and Memphis style into our smoked meats,” Hasbrouck said. “In addition to our everyday sides, (such as marinated slaw and banana pudding), we also have a revolving list of 50 southern sides, and that variety keeps things interesting for our regular customers.”

At the end of the day, he added, “barbecue is comfort food, and I think it’s some of the best food for the price you can buy.”

Hasbrouck opened his first Moe’s restaurant three years ago and said it’s due to the success of the Bangor location that he’s ready to expand.

For the South Portland restaurant, Hasbrouck and his wife, Emily, took over the former Loca Baja Grill, a Mexican restaurant, and said, “we’ve been able to build a full bar and enjoy having (a lot of) space with which to work.”

With two young kids, Hasbrouck said he’s well aware of the difficulty of finding a place to eat out as a family that doesn’t break the bank.

“At Moe’s, we offer free kids meals to kids 12 and under when you dine in with an adult meal. We also do catering and affordable take-out packages for families on a budget,” he said.

On the other side of the city, Peter Verrill, along with Gary and Tasha Hurtubise, are getting set to open the SoPo Bar & Grill, which is going in at 740 Broadway – the former location of JP Thornton’s Cafe? and Deli, which closed this past spring after 12 years in business.

Verrill has been in the restaurant business for nearly 10 years and is also the owner of Outliers Eatery – a bistro-type restaurant on the West End in Portland. Gary Hurtubise has experience in seafood distribution and sales and Tasha Hurtubise has worked for Siemens.

Overall, Verrill said, “All three of us bring unique experience and tools to the table.”

He said the goal for the SoPo Bar & Grill is for the restaurant to “become a South Portland institution for delicious, consistent and affordable American cuisine. The dining room will be a clean and comfortable place for families, friends and business acquaintances to enjoy lunch or dinner.”

In addition, Verrill said, the restaurant will have two bars. One will be in a quieter side room and the other will be the main bar, which he said would provide “an energetic atmosphere with several televisions.”

Both bars and the dining room will offer the same menu, and the restaurant will also feature “a beautiful function room for any and all occasions,” according to Verrill.

“Local businesses will find that we are outfitted with state-of-the-art multimedia solutions for meetings, (and) the space will also be suitable for everything from private, sit down dinners to cocktail parties, business meetings (and) family functions.

Like JP Thornton’s, the restaurant will also feature a deli that would be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and offer deli sandwiches, pizza and other to-go menu items.

Verrill said the team has not yet decided whether to offer live entertainment, which was one of the draws at JP Thornton’s, but he did say the “menu will have something for everyone. From delicious hamburgers to sirloin steaks to the freshest seafood.”

What attracted Verrill and his partners to Broadway was that it is a “high-traffic corridor to many South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough neighborhoods. (It’s also) located in the middle of a thriving business community and gives us access to thousands of people seeking lunch during work or dinner and drinks after work.”

He added, “I cannot reiterate how excited the three of us are to jump headfirst into our new venture. We are truly inspired to become one of South Portland’s finest destinations for great food, drink and atmosphere. We have already felt the love from area residents and employees and cannot wait to give back to the community in any way we can.”