Dine and Dish: The Tri-Tipery in Merced County

MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Judging from the long line at The Tri-Tipery, you wouldn't think Ballico in Merced County was a tiny community of about 500 people.

Jana Nairn and her husband Rob figured, if you build it, they will come.

"We know how hard it is to find food around here. They have to go out of the area when you work in the area," Jana said.

That line moves quickly.

"This is our traditional Wagon Wheel tri-tip sandwich. We don't put a whole lot on it," Jana said. "Just tri-tip, thin sliced and our garlic bread so that's kind of our standard and very popular."

BBQ sauces include the winners of an area competition.

"We like to support the local brands as much as we can. The combination of sweet and smoky is so nice. And tender," Jana said.

I asked customer Brett Nickelson "How do you rank their tri-tip and burgers against other places in the area?

"Oh this is the best local eatery that I like to go to for sure," he responded.

Nickelson brought Merced Union High School District staffers here for employee appreciation week.

"I didn't know even this place existed but I am definitely going to bring my husband," customer Jamie Ziegenfuss said.

"So this is our 50-50. And this is tri-tip and pork belly with some cole slaw and BBQ sauce. It's delicious," Jana said.

When The Tri-Tipery opened in 2015, locals no longer had to drive to Livingston or Turlock for a sit down meal.

"Friday nights get lively. You get to listen to music," customer Maria Fonseca said.

"I enjoy coming out on Friday nights. They have cheap sodas and great food," Nickelson said.

"This is our Texan. The Texan is obviously on Texas toast there with avocado and red onions and such," Jana said. "All of our sandwiches and salads and everything are kind of built on tri-tip but we have some chicken options too."

Even the burgers are made from ground tri-tip

"We have a great chef team. Chef Antonio is our lead here," Jana said.

Jana grew up in Ballico, so it was important to have a place where families could gather.

"A nice melting pot of a community across the board of good people," Jana said.

She'll often see big rig drivers pull to the side of the road.

"We've had farmers roll up in their tractors," she said. "We get lots of great comments and we laugh too. Like the craziest place. Who would put a restaurant in such a rural location? But it's a win-win."

It's the kind of place where folks like to take a weekend drive and have a meal or enjoy live music on Friday nights.

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