A barbecue place that sells nine different salads?

That’s right, Boynton Beach’s own Lucille’s Bad to the Bone BBQ, 6691 W. Boynton Beach Blvd., is intermingling down-home barbecue with healthy salads.

With a sister store open in Boca Raton, managing partner Pete Stagliano said his restaurant has been around since 1997 with the Boynton Beach store spawned in 2002.

“It honestly started out as hardcore barbecue,” he said. “We took our menu a little bit broader with the different salads, sandwiches wraps and, of course, the pulled pork sandwich.”

A pulled pork sandwich is $8.99 with a side, while salads like the crispy chicken or the seasonal with crumbled blue cheese and cranberries is $10.99. Stagliano also said they offer seafood like tilapia and catfish for $13.99 with two sides and a corn muffin.

“We also have a lunch menu that [has] salads for $6.99 and has 23 choices still at $6.99,” he said.

Stagliano started working with the company in Fort Lauderdale before it moved operations to Boca Raton and now 12 years later, he is a managing partner.

“It started out as a job, then turned into a career,” he said. “Each day of the week we have a different special. Monday we have a full rack of baby back ribs for $14.99, then Tuesday it is all you can eat ribs for $19.99. And Wednesday, kids eat free.”

Stagliano said children are an important element to his operation and Lucille’s has a clown visit from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.

“We sponsor little league teams and try to help out,” he said. “There is definitely that hometown feel to us.”

Stagliano’s partner in the business, Mike Jameson, said the Boca Raton spot opened in October 1997 and was originally a husband-and-wife establishment.

“It took a couple years but we got a tight niche in the community by partnering up with little league softball and soccer clubs,” he said. “We really became a staple in the community.”

Jameson said the family-friendly atmosphere is what makes Lucille’s a landmark in the community.

“We never sacrificed our quality and even though it is tough out there right now, we have to stay top notch,” he said.

Lucille’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For information, call 561-742-7449.