LONG BEACH — On a winter afternoon, the tables were full and the food was flowing.

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B&D’s Food Hut

Brent and Dawn Wheeler, owners

203 Bostad Ave. Long Beach

360-214-4632

Open Thursday to Monday from 11 A.M. to 7 P.M. (closed Tuesday and Wednesday)

Winter is typically the slow season for many businesses on the peninsula, particularly restaurants. But that hasn’t been the case for one of Long Beach’s newest restaurants, B&D’s Food Hut, which celebrated a grand opening roughly one month ago steps from the famed Long Beach arch.

“We had about 40 in here at lunch today, on a Wednesday in the wintertime,” said B&D’s Food Hut co-owner Brent Wheeler, standing behind the counter of their new brick-and-mortar location at 203 Bolstad Ave. “It’s incredible.”

New location, menu, opportunity

Brent, along with his wife Dawn, formerly operated a food truck under the same name for two “fantastic” years at the intersection of Sid Snyder Drive and Pacific Avenue, garnering a strong customer following while collecting several awards for their chowder, burgers and catering along the way.

When an opportunity arose to move to a more permanent location along Bolstad Avenue, the couple didn’t hesitate.

“We felt it was an advantageous time when this became available,” Brent said. “It was a blessing.”

The location, formerly home to The Chowder Stop, allows the business to have inside seating, with a 46-person capacity in a prime location.

“It’s huge,” Brent said. “Here on the peninsula, it’s hard for people to get in and out of their cars in the cold and rain. And we know this will be a great location, we’ve got the clam diggers and all the events going on here.”

Award-winning food

The food has garnered local acclaim the past couple of years, particularly their clam chowder and hamburgers, including recognition as a Coast Weekend People’s Choice Award winner. Last year, B&D’s Food Hut won the chowder contest at the 2024 Razor Clam Festival, an honor they hope to repeat later this year.

The business will continue to serve their customer favorites while also adding local beer, cider and their most recent addition: house-smoked meats.

“We already smoke our wings, but we’re looking to add more,” Brent said standing next to their outdoor smoker. “During the fall, we’ll go into pasta dishes like shrimp or cajun alfredo. Those will all be made-to-order like we did in the food trailer. We’ll have ongoing specials to keep people’s interest.

“I like to bring things to the peninsula that we don’t have and do something different that makes people happy.”