When Mountain Dudes Good Food opened its mobile food trailer at 1193 US-22 in Phillipsburg while waiting for construction to conclude on its 40-seat full-service dining restaurant, they couldn’t believe the abundance of business they had. Enough business to scrap plans at their original location and open in a much larger one in the same town at 1278 US-22 in Pohatcong Plaza.
Owner Chris Sterlacci, who works in marketing, opened Mountain Dude in August, Monday through Thursday between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. just to see how the menu would test and what customers liked best. Mountain Dudes wound up feeding between 180 and 190 people a night. Sterlacci is looking forward to seeing the kind of business a weekend will bring in at his new location. The 3,700 sq. ft. lodge-style restaurant will seat about 160 when it opens in January 2022. At Mountain Dudes, you’ll find dishes like bison burgers, pan-seared tuna, Old Bay shrimp, lots of pulled pork offerings, and brisket.
“We are barbecue-inspired, but backwoods made,” Sterlacci told What Now Philadelphia.
In addition to rustic lodge decor and cozy fireplaces, Mountain Dudes will reface their building, install new floors, along with a new kitchen and a Mountainside Soda Bar run by a soda jerk.
“We hope to be a part of the community and want people to feel at home when they’re here,” Sterlacci said.
