Sunbird Barbecue in Longview will soon be opening its first dine-in restaurant.
Bryan Bingham, his wife Kimmy, and David Segovia started their mobile grilling business in 2021 after previously working at the Mobberly Avenue Bodacious Bar-BQ. Segovia’s wife Kay also assists with the Sunbird BBQ.
“We always knew we wanted to go brick and mortar,” says Bryan Bingham, who hopes to open a new location at 415 N. High St. in a few weeks.
The building was most recently home to The Cace Kitchen until the business relocated to 104 N. Green St, deeper in downtown Longview.
“The trailer is great, but we’ve done everything we can,” Bingham said. Also, without a building, customers have no place to sit and eat.
Their grills will be on site, and he said they also hope to add an outdoor dining area in the future.
The community’s support for the business has been “overwhelming,” Bingham said.
“We’re going nowhere without the support of the community,” he said.
Sunbird’s food truck will continue to operate at the Hyundai of Longview at 3680 US 259 for now, but Bingham said they hope to open on High Street within a few weeks.
Restaurant hours will continue to be 11 a.m. until sold out Wednesday through Saturday, but Bingham said they hope to extend hours as business grows.
New El Sombrero location
El Sombrero opened its new store at 2005 Toler Road in West Longview on Friday.
Mike Kittner opened the original restaurant on McCann Road in Brookwood Village Shopping Center 22 years ago. He previously operated stores in Hallsville and Kilgore but has since sold the one in Hallsville. The Kilgore restaurant has been closed since a fire in August, and Kittner plans to tear it down and rebuild later.
He also plans to open a second location in Longview.
At 9,200 square feet, the just-opened restaurant in the former Catfish Village is nearly double the size of the McCann Road restaurant, and includes a drive-thru and a larger bar.
Hours of operation are Monday to Wednesday 11am to 9pm and Thursday to Saturday 11am to 10pm.
change of ownership
The Ritz Salon at 1901 Judson Road is under new ownership.
Claudio Castro and Jeff Pugh purchased the salon in late 2022. They learned that the salon was for sale while they were working at a barber academy.
Pugh worked full-time at the salon, while Castro continued to work full-time at the Institute and then at the salon in the afternoons. She hopes to eventually work full-time at the salon.
She says she works as a beautician and Pugh works as a hairdresser and also provides straight shaves and shaves.
“We did all kinds of hair,” Castro said.
Hours of operation are 9am-6pm and 9am-5pm Tuesday through Thursday and the salon is open by appointment and by appointment. Castro said the time could be increased later.
“We hope we can bring the best to Longview and continue to grow the business,” Castro said.
