🍖 Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill is the latest California-based concept looking to establish a presence in Arizona, with plans to move into the recently vacated State 48 Tap House space at San Tan Village in Gilbert.
Friends-turned-business partners Eric Anders and Ofer Shemtov launched Wood Ranch in Moorpark, Calif., in 1992 and now have 18 locations throughout the Golden State.
What’s on the menu?
The restaurants feature a variety of barbecue styles, including Texas-style brisket, St. Louis-style ribs, and its signature California-style tri-tip, along with steaks, seafood, burgers, and sandwiches.
Famous Shredded Onions – a pile of thinly sliced sweet onions lightly brushed with an egg wash and seasoned flour before hitting the deep fryer – are Wood Ranch’s award-winning starter.
The most popular item is the wood-fired, sliced tri-tip, which comes in 7- or 10-ounce plates or several sandwiches, such as America’s Best BBQ Tri Tip Sandwich.
Expansion redux
The Gilbert outpost won’t be the brand’s first attempt to expand beyond California.
In 2015, Anders and Shemtov decided to bypass obvious targets like Arizona or Nevada and instead devised an ambitious plan to build 25 East Coast locations, starting with a handful in the greater Washington, D.C., area.
The first opened in Springfield, Va., in 2015, but lingered for 15 months before the expansion was abandoned.
3rd time’s the charm?
Wood Ranch will be the third concept to take over the San Tan Village space.
When the outdoor shopping mall opened in 2007, it was home to one of three Gordon Biersch locations in the Valley. All have since closed, including the Gilbert one in 2020.
State 48 moved in the following year but closed in November 2025.
What’s next
Demolition/construction work has begun in the space, but Anders says Wood Ranch likely won’t open until early fall 2027.
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