Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill is set to open its first Arizona restaurant in Gilbert, taking over a SanTan Village storefront that has already burned through two prior restaurant tenants. Demolition and construction work has begun in the space, with co-owner Eric Anders saying the restaurant will likely open in early fall 2027. It will be the third concept to occupy that particular spot at the outdoor shopping center since 2007.
The California-based chain currently operates 18 locations, all within its home state, and this Gilbert build marks its first venture outside California since a failed East Coast push. As Mouth By Southwest reports, Wood Ranch abandoned its East Coast expansion after just 15 months, having opened its first location outside California in Springfield, Virginia in 2015, when Anders and co-founder Ofer Shemtov had planned as many as 25 East Coast locations. According to WhatNow, Anders has confirmed the Gilbert restaurant will serve as the brand's flagship outpost in Arizona.
A Long Line of Restaurant Turnover
The site at SanTan Village previously housed Gordon Biersch, one of three Valley locations for that brewery-restaurant chain, before it closed in 2020. State 48 Tap House then moved in, occupying the space until it shut down in November 2025, per the same seed report. Wood Ranch now becomes the third concept to try its luck in that particular storefront, betting that its barbecue concept can succeed where a craft brewery and a tap house both eventually folded.
Wood Ranch's roots go back more than three decades. Per WhatNow, founders Eric Anders and Ofer Shemtov launched the original Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill in 1992 by taking over a former barbecue spot in Moorpark, California, and renovating the venue on a $5,000 budget. The brand has since grown into a well-established regional chain, and the menu blends multi-regional barbecue styles including California-style tri-tip, Texas-style brisket, and St. Louis-style ribs.
What's on the Menu
The restaurant's most popular item is its wood-fired sliced tri-tip, served in 7-ounce or 10-ounce portions as either a plate or a sandwich, and the chain markets it as America's best BBQ tri-tip sandwich. The broader menu also includes steaks, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches, along with the chain's famous shredded onions, served as an award-winning starter. According to Wood Ranch's official menu listings, the restaurant smokes its beef ribs over pecan wood and grills its steaks and burgers over live oak fires.
Why Gilbert, Why Now
Gilbert's population has reached 291,713 as of September 2026, an 8.27% increase since the 2020 Census, according to World Population Review. The town also boasts a median household income of $121,543, with nearly half of residents aged 25 and older holding a bachelor's degree or higher, per the Town of Gilbert's own municipal data. That kind of purchasing power has made the East Valley a magnet for polished casual dining brands looking to expand.
SanTan Village itself offers a built-in audience. The outdoor shopping center encompasses 1.203 million square feet of retail space and draws 9.3 million annual visitors from a trade area of 1.2 million residents, according to leasing materials from property owner Macerich. Daytime foot traffic got a boost in January 2024 when flex-office company Kiln opened a 33,000-square-foot coworking space at the center, introducing hundreds of daily remote workers and corporate teams who could become lunchtime regulars.
SanTan Village has also seen recent tenant turnover beyond the Wood Ranch space. Hoodline previously reported on Luna Grill's arrival at the center, where the fast-casual Mediterranean chain took over a former Teriyaki Madness site as part of a statewide push after entering the Arizona market in Mesa in late 2025.
Competing for Gilbert's Barbecue Fans
Wood Ranch won't be entering a barbecue vacuum. Gilbert's own Caldwell County BBQ ranked No. 37 on Yelp's Top 100 U.S. BBQ list, according to a Hoodline report from November 2024 that highlighted seven Arizona barbecue spots making the national ranking. That existing local appetite for hardwood-smoked meats gives Wood Ranch a proven customer base to court, but also an established competitor with a national reputation.
The broader Gilbert dining and retail scene is also expanding rapidly elsewhere. Hoodline reported in July 2026 that developers of The Gilmore, a 35-acre mixed-use project at Val Vista Drive and Germann Road, had signed over two dozen retail and dining leases, including Rebel Wine Lounge and Phantom Fox Beer Co., with openings targeted for late 2026. With a roughly two-year buildout ahead before Wood Ranch's doors open, that competition — along with established favorites like Caldwell County BBQ — will have plenty of time to keep capturing East Valley diners.
