Beef Barn owner acquires remaining Homestead property; Future plans include car shows, possible farmer’s market

NORTH SMITHFIELD – The owner of the Beef Barn restaurant has bought the remaining 12 acres of the property once known as Homestead Gardens with plans to clean up the lot and offer events in the future, including Tuesday night car shows and a possible farmer’s market.

MMB X2 Realty, LLC, an entity formed in 2019 by Beef Barn proprietor Marc Branchaud, purchased the second parcel of a subdivision at 200 Industrial Drive from Pound Hill Real Estate Company, LLC for $450,000.

Branchaud, whose popular restaurant was originally located on Greenville Road, purchased the first portion of the land, a 5.9 acre segment closest to the roadway, in 2019, also for $450,000. The lot once held Homestead Garden & Gifts, a gift shop situated on 17 acres of scenic, manicured grounds.

The property was subdivided for the project, allowing Branchaud to build a new, replica restaurant in an area by the roadway. The Beef Barn relocated to the Industrial Drive lot last September, expanding on the property to include outdoor seating and an ice cream shop known as Pound Hill Creamery.

The business owner also went to work restoring the grounds, adding picnic tables and cleaning up years of overgrown brush. Branchaud told NRI NOW this week that he is now reconstructing a bridge that once allowed visitors to cross over a pond on the property.

“We’re busy,” he said of his business since the move to the new location. “We’re very happy here. It’s much better than the old lot – that’s for sure.”

Now, he has also purchased the remaining land, and owns the full 17 acres that once comprised Homestead. He said that while he is not yet sure of his full plans for the land, car shows are on the agenda and ideas include a possible farmer’s market.

“I want to get the front done before I start working back there,” he said of the new acreage. “I’ve got to see what I can do.”

“I have big garden in the back with 160 tomato plants,” Branchaud said. “Now, no one can get behind me, like a trucking company, so that’s a good thing.”

The restaurant, which offers casual dining and a menu featuring sandwiches and desserts, is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.