A popular South Portland barbecue restaurant that must close to make way for an office project just found a new home – about two miles away on Broadway.

Beale Street Barbeque, which has operated on Waterman Drive since 1994, will move into the Thomas Room banquet center in early 2008.

“In business, not many things work ideally… This is one of those things,” said Beale Street owner Michael Quigg about the move. “The site is perfect for us. It was not even on the market.”

The new site is the banquet center’s East Room – a 5,000-square-foot dining area and bar in the Thomas Room that needs minimal changes. It is almost twice the size of Beale Street’s current location.

“We worked with him and everything clicked,” said building owner Louis Maietta Jr. “This facility already has in place a lot of what he needs for the restaurant.”

That includes men’s and women’s bathrooms, a long wood bar, coolers and ample parking.

Quigg may keep the small stage in the dining area and book local musicians occasionally to play at the restaurant.

“We are very excited about this property, which is located only minutes from our existing location,” Quigg said in a press statement issued last weekend.

“We will have increased seating, an expanded bar, and though we won’t be featuring regular live music, we have a stage and the opportunity to feature live music from time to time.”

Maietta said he met with Quigg last week and they closed the deal in a few days. The Beale Street owner signed a five-year lease.

The East Room already is booked with holiday functions until Dec. 22. After that, Quigg will start refurbishing the space.

Maietta said that the banquet center’s West Room – with more than 7,000 square feet – will stay open and continue to accept private parties and functions.

“I must say that Louis had everything to do with this deal working and going so smoothly,” Quigg said. “He was supportive, reasonable and encouraging in getting us in there.”

Quigg had been scouting for several months to find a new location since learning that his landlord would not renew his Waterman Drive lease, which expires in March 2008. The restaurant is being displaced by a luxury office complex.

The current Beale Street is a 50-seat restaurant that averages about 200 meals a day. The menu includes pulled pork sandwiches, shredded beef brisket and smoked sausage. Local beers are served on tap.

With the new location, Quigg will place a special emphasis on local foods, featuring Wolf’s Neck Farm meats, as well as seafood and produce from Maine.

Quigg plans to build an open-air kitchen and an outdoor barbecue cooker. He will repaint the walls and install carpeting.

The banquet center’s East Room and West Room have separate entrances and soundproof walls. Quigg says he thinks the restaurant and banquet hall will complement each other.

The facilities are separated by a large, restaurant-style kitchen, which the Thomas Room will retain for its use.

Quigg hopes to have a smooth transition, closing the Waterman Drive restaurant the day before the new Broadway restaurant opens.

“While we have until the end of March to vacate our present location, we hope to make the move somewhat sooner,” Quigg said in a press statement. “When exactly is currently under discussion, but we will have that figured out in the next couple of weeks.”

Beale Street finds new home close by