Barbecue restaurant to expand to Canton

Oct. 15, 2020

A barbecue restaurant based in a Harrisburg bar is adding a location in Canton.

Bone Daddy’s Smokehouse will open in Bushwhackers Bar & Grill on Oct. 23.

“We’re really excited to have this opportunity to be out there with them,” said Vanessa Ragatz, who started Bone Daddy’s with her husband, Randy, in February. That’s when they took over the kitchen in The Phoenix Lounge in downtown Harrisburg, where they serve ribs, smoked sandwiches, burgers, tacos and more Wednesday through Friday nights and all day Saturday.

In Canton, Bushwhackers had been serving bar food like hamburgers and pizzas before the pandemic, but it kept the kitchen closed after the shutdown ended, owner Scott Pearson said. He and his wife, Rhonda, opened the downtown bar in May 2019. Since the pandemic, hours have been reduced to Friday through Sunday, but Pearson is hoping Bone Daddy’s might help change that.

Bone Daddy’s menu in Canton will be slightly different from the one in Harrisburg, focusing on its smoked meats, which will be prepared on-site, Ragatz said.

Diners will find ribs, a brisket french dip, a ribeye sandwich, smoked chicken wings and smoked flatbreads. There will be loaded mac-and-cheese, nachos and tacos, including a Cajun shrimp version.

“We’re going to feature a new sandwich out there, the Nashville hot, fried chicken sandwich,” Ragatz said.

They’ve found staff to help with Fridays and Saturdays in Harrisburg. “To begin with, we will be out there (in Canton) to get our baby going and put our personal touch on it,” Ragatz said.

To start, kitchen hours will be 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

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Barbecue restaurant to expand to Canton

Bone Daddy’s Smokehouse is coming to Canton.

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