Red House BBQ, the Tehachapi smokehouse that has anchored East Tehachapi Boulevard since 2010, is officially for sale. Owners Mano and Mei Mei Lujan say that when they announced the sale on October 31, 2026, they had run the restaurant for about 16 years and three months and were ready to slow down and spend more time together and with their children.
The eXp Realty listing is for 426 E. Tehachapi Blvd. and shows an asking price of $1,300,000. Financial details are available to qualified buyers who provide confidentiality documentation.
About 16 Years of 16-Hour Days
The decision follows years of demanding work. In an interview with Tehachapi News, Mano Lujan described opening the restaurant as a way to build a better future for the couple’s children. He said the goals that motivated the venture have been met, a factor in the decision to sell.
The same report says the Lujans first considered opening a Hawaiian restaurant in Tehachapi, but permitting difficulties with the planned building changed the course of the project. Lujan later studied Japanese cuisine, experiences that helped shape the restaurant’s eventual direction.
Surviving the Pandemic Without Layoffs
The Lujans kept their staff employed during the pandemic, according to the Tehachapi News account. Earlier Tehachapi News coverage described staffing that varied from 16 or 17 employees in winter to 24 or 25 in summer, as well as Lujan’s trips to San Diego and Fresno to buy meat.
That recognition has followed the couple for years. Red House BBQ was named Large Business of the Year in the Tehachapi's Finest awards program, the outlet reported, a nod to the restaurant's staying power in a small mountain town.
Edwards Air Force Base Operations Will Continue
The sale of the Tehachapi restaurant would not end the Lujans’ food-service operations. They plan to keep their two locations at Edwards Air Force Base and continue catering and events, while a third base location is in development.
The two existing base locations serve different menus: one offers Hawaiian food at the base exchange, while the NASA facility serves barbecue, burgers, pizza and breakfast. The third location is planned for the Air Force Research Laboratory and is set to open November 18; its format may change depending on decisions by the base. The locations serve breakfast and lunch and are closed on weekends and holidays.
What Comes Next for the Lujans
Lujan plans to return to personal interests, including guitar, classic cars and competitive shooting. The listing shows an asking price of $1,300,000; no buyer or closing timeline has been disclosed.
License Transfers and a Separate Past Closure
If a buyer seeks to take over an on-sale general liquor license, California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control says the current licensee and buyer must both sign a person-to-person transfer application. The agency may deny the transfer if the buyer is not qualified, and approval is not automatic. As a separate earlier episode, Tehachapi News reported that Mano Lujan announced on Dec. 21, 2016, that The Shed, a different Tehachapi restaurant, would close as of Christmas Eve. That closure was distinct from Red House BBQ’s proposed sale.
