Santa Maria-style BBQ drive-through opens in an unusual SLO County spot
A new takeout barbecue joint has opened in a unique spot in Atascadero — at a drive-through coffeehouse.
The Human Bean is now serving Santa Maria-style barbecue from Moss Lane Ranch BBQ, both operating under the same roof and the same owners, Moss Lane Ventures LLC.
Moss Lane Ventures owns nine Human Bean franchise locations in California, three of which are in San Luis Obispo County, owner Pat Mitchell told the Tribune.
Mitchell launched the barbecue business at the Human Bean at 7835 El Camino Real on March 14 to fill a gap in the market while expanding his business.
“In the whole town of Atascadero, there’s virtually very little barbecue,” he said. “We thought it’d be nice to have an offering where people could come up and get their food — good quality barbecue — quickly.”
If successful, he plans to expand the model to the other SLO County Human Bean locations, starting with Templeton and then Morro Bay.
The barbecue business has already been a hit, he said.
With local roots on the Central Coast, Moss Lane Ranch BBQ serves wood-fired tri-tip and chicken on sliders with garlic bread, salad and traditional pinquito beans native to Santa Maria. Even the salad dressing — Hidden Valley Ranch — was invented locally in Santa Barbara County.
Their homemade dry rub marinates on the meat overnight to infuse the barbecue with rich flavor before it’s slow-cooked on an outdoor, adjustable red oak pit grill in traditional Santa Maria style, Mitchell said.
“Everything’s made from scratch: the garlic bread, the pinquito beans, the rubs, the garlic and barbecue sauce,” Mitchel said. “We do all that. We make it all.”
Moss Lane Ranch BBQ’s tri-tip plates — including beans, salad and garlic bread — cost $16.95, and three sliders cost $11.95. The price for chicken plates or sliders are a dollar less.
The food is prepared Wednesday through Sunday behind the drive-through, then packaged up and served fresh at the window.
The barbecue side of the business is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., or until they sell out, while Human Bean opens for coffee orders at 6 a.m.
“We’re pretty proud of what we’ve created in the barbecue area,” Mitchell said. “We think people will really like it.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
