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Co-Owners of the improved Po'Boys (from left to right) Jim Rasner, Andy Rasner, Lindsay Lamanna-Rasner, Jean Rasner, and Elizabeth Rasner. Photo by James Kyung (James Kyung)

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For 53 years, Po’ Boys Bar-B-Que was a staple of Champaign barbecue. Hungry customers would line up out the door of the tiny restaurant Friday and Saturday nights to taste the famous sauce on polish sausage or beef brisket. When the owner, Arnie Yarber, said he was too old and tired to keep the business going in 2006, the lines of heartbroken fans stretched for hours.

Does it sound like the kind of place CU needs again? The Rasner family thought so too. Earlier this year, they converted the old TK Wendl’s bar in Urbana to Po’ Boys part II: Po’ Boys BBQ & Pizza, a family establishment.

“My brother and I have been talking for years about doing something together. It’s always been a dream to open something of our own,” Jean Rasner said. “This just kind of fell into our hands.”

Jean co-owns the store with her dad Jim, brother Andy and sister-in-law Lindsay. Jim acquired the secret recipe for the sauce from a family friend and longtime Po’ Boys enthusiast, who got it straight from Arnie himself a few years ago. Now the family has assumed the duty of bringing back the barbecue.

“People warned me about starting a business right now, but my dad has such strong faith in the recipes that we have. This is a legend in town,” Jean said.

The new Po’ Boys extended the menu to give patrons more home-cooked variety. In addition to the classic barbecue sausage, beef, pork and ribs, it serves pizzas, salads and standard American favorites: burgers, grilled cheese, grilled chicken sandwiches, wings (10 for $7.50) and chicken fingers served with — you guessed it — barbecue sauce.

Their famous sauce is vinegar-based, sweet and thin, although anything can be ordered with a more traditional thick sauce instead. It comes in three degrees of spiciness: mild, hot — which is “face-sweating,” Jean warns — or a mixture of the two.

Pizzas are thin crust, similar in style to the original Monical’s. They come by the slice, $4 to $5, or by the pie, $10 to $18.50, and are half price Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The restaurant also serves a healthy selection of beers, wines and cocktails.

Unfortunately for college students, the old location did not come back with the food. Po’ Boys relocated to 1901 S. High Cross Road, close to the Urbana Walmart. While it is still local and only a few turns away by car, it is hardly accessible by bus. The closest stop is about a 20 minute walk away, according to Google Maps. The building is surrounded by cornfields (no surprises there for central Illinois) and a sports complex of softball fields, batting cages and volleyball courts.

“It is really fun to come out on a weeknight in summer to see the people playing softball and enjoying our great food and drink,” Jean said.

But with a less centralized location came some benefits. The owners were able to expand Yarber’s carry-out stand into a restaurant seating 600. Their party rooms alone seat 400 with a private bar and stage and are completely free to rent.

Still, locals are just now starting to realize the barbecue has been reincarnated, and TK Wendel’s bar converted into a family restaurant. “The hardest part is just letting people know that we’re here. This was for so long just a bar and sports complex,” Jean said. “I even have friends who live in Champaign and say that their neighbors don’t know that we’re here.”

Popularity is growing as their name gets out. They also have specialty nights to attract customers. Monday and Tuesday nights host the pool league; Wednesday is euchre night; Fridays come with karaoke.

On a recent Wednesday night, the crowd was small but dedicated, about 12 people playing euchre in the main dining area. They stayed long after the kitchen closed at 9 p.m., and, brother Andy joked to his sister, were threatening to stay all night. It was easy to see why — the family’s friendly banter makes for an informal, infectiously happy atmosphere. “It’s easy to work with family when you’re all pretty easy going,” Jean said cheerfully.