{"id":292287,"date":"2026-04-30T00:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292287\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T00:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:37:11","slug":"papa-joes-spokesbelly-bbq-coming-to-shaw-and-maroa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292287\/","title":{"rendered":"Papa Joe\u2019s Spokesbelly BBQ coming to Shaw and Maroa"},"content":{"rendered":"

When a taco place drew big crowds to an old gas station at Maroa and Shaw avenues in Fig Garden, it proved the spot could be an eatery and the neighborhood would show up for it.<\/p>\n

The taco spot didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

But now a new restaurant is headed for the space at 420 W. Shaw Ave.: Papa Joe\u2019s Spokesbelly BBQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The business run by Joe Avila has signed a lease to take over the building \u2014 including the inside for seating \u2014 in the coming months.<\/p>\n

Spokesbelly is a barbecue trailer business that\u2019s been doing catering and pop-ups for about two years.<\/p>\n

That name?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an old saying,\u201d Avila said. \u201cNever trust a skinny cook. Trust a \u2018spokesbelly.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Usually, he\u2019s patting his belly while saying this. Meaning, he has a belly from eating his own food because it\u2019s good food.<\/p>\n

The trailer even features a silhouette of a man with a little belly.<\/p>\n

It will be a few months before Spokesbelly opens. He\u2019s hoping to open by July 1.<\/p>\n

Avila already serves chicken, tri-tip and ribs. When it opens, he plans to add brisket and pulled pork. There will be sides such as chili, rice pilaf, potato salad, mac \u2018n\u2019 cheese, Frito corn salad and giant chocolate chip cookies.<\/p>\n

The food will be available as sandwiches, on plates or by the pound.<\/p>\n

A 2000 graduate of Bullard High School, Avila currently does concession sales at Bullard football games and at various community events, including a fundraiser for Bullard\u2019s band program.<\/p>\n

A gas station, tacos and the Orange Store<\/p>\n

Most recently, Tacos El Cabezon<\/a> called the spot at the northwest corner of Shaw and Maroa avenues home.<\/p>\n

Its Mexicali-style tacos made a splash<\/a> starting last fall. The taco trailer parked on the spot drew crowds of people.<\/p>\n

But in February, owner Armando Arias Jr. received a cease-and-desist letter ordering him to stop operating<\/a> at the location. He was not operating with the proper permit that included a traffic study of the area, according to a county representative.<\/p>\n

Arias went on to open a location on Fulton Street<\/a> in downtown Fresno. (It closed briefly while he was the subject of a missing persons report<\/a>, though he was found, saying he was in the hospital.<\/a> It\u2019s since reopened.)<\/p>\n

Avila, of Papa Joe\u2019s Spokesbelly, lives in the neighborhood near the Shaw and Maroa spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been driving by it for years,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m like: That could be a really good barbecue spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s in the process of applying for the appropriate permits, including the one with a traffic study.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I\u2019m trying to get all the permits I can and trying to do everything by the book,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

If all goes as planned, he will park his smokers in a caged-off area out back. Customers can sit inside or outside the building.<\/p>\n

The building Spokesbelly is taking over has been home to several businesses over the decades.<\/p>\n

It started as a gas station in the 1970s and 1980s. Then it was the Orange Store, with crates of fresh fruit for sale out front. After that, it was home to The Elegant Orchid, which sold orchids at the store and for events such as weddings. Late last year, Tacos El Cabezon launched an eatery at the site.<\/p>\n

\"Papa Papa Joe\u2019s Spokesbelly BBQ will be opening at 420 W. Shaw Ave., filling the space recently left by Tacos El Cabezon, photographed Tuesday, April 28, 2026 in Fresno. Spokesbelly is a barbecue trailer business that\u2019s been doing catering and pop-ups for about two years.\u00a0 ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com \"Papa Papa Joe\u2019s Spokesbelly BBQ will be opening at the northwest corner of Shaw and Maroa avenues, photographed Tuesday, April 28, 2026 in Fresno. The site has been home to the Orange Store, The Elegant Orchid and the original Arco gas station. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com \"Papa Papa Joe’s Spokesbelly BBQ will be opening at 420 W. Shaw Ave., filling the space recently left by Tacos El Cabezon, photographed Tuesday, April 28, 2026 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Bethany Clough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers\u2019 questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.\n <\/p>\n