SUNDERLAND – Andrew Garlo is a new culinary hero. He saved Bub’s Bar-B-Q, one of the most popular restaurants in town.

“On June 1 they were going to close down for good,” Garlo said. “I found out through a friend of mine. I worked here a few months…(then) all the financials came through and I purchased it on Sept. 1.”

Garlo, with 17 years of experience in food and catering, is already growing the business in that direction, with four events lined up last week and five this week. The new restaurateur saw a jump in business when college classes resumed. The old eatery has also been picking up new and returning customers, steadily adding traffic.

“Bub’s has been here since 1979,” Garlo said. “It’s been a mainstay in Sunderland and upper Amherst. People love it. I get a lot of ‘don’t change anything’ from the customers who’ve been coming here since Bub first opened it.”

Garlo is looking for ways to further anchor the business in the local economy. One way is to source the food ingredients, where possible, from local producers. The Reservoir Road resident is especially picky about the sausage he uses, which comes from McCarthy’s Sausages in South Deerfield. Old fans of Bub’s, sitting down again, appreciate the efforts to localize.

The interior decorating will retain the 70s atmosphere with booths, checked table cloths, rolls of paper towels for napkins, framed awards and cut-out piggies on the walls.

“I like it that you can walk into a time machine when you come to Bub’s,” Garlo said. “It’s got that feel of the 1970s. I don’t want to change that, or lose that appeal.”

After that stretch in business things do have to change, Garlo said, but not the décor. The changes are to take advantage of new foods and ways of preparing them. The new owner is stretching his creativity and beginning to experiment with new dishes.

“We have added things to the menu,” Garlo said. “We’re doing smoked wings. I added pulled pork nachos. This week I’m working on doing a smoked apple crisp for dessert…We smoke the apples in brown sugar, a simple syrup mix with cinnamon and nutmeg.”

Ice cream topped off the southern style sweetness. The confection was available only on the weekend. The prior weekend Garlo featured smoked cookies, which were a big seller. He paired the cookies with fresh milk from Mapleline Farm in Hadley, a dairy that pulls milk from Jersey cows.

“I’m big on the whole local flavor (idea),” Garlo said, “because without local (farmers) we wouldn’t be here.”

Old fans of Bub’s Bar-B-Q, don’t worry: the main dishes won’t be changing. Barbecue restaurants are judged on their racks of baby back ribs, dripping with sauce, brisket sandwiches, gumbos from the Delta, catfish dishes and St. Louis-style dinners. The brisket will now be sliced to order, rather than resting on a warmer, the usual practice after the long basting time.

Most of Bub’s side dishes are classic barbecue offerings like fried green tomatoes, hickory smoked potatoes and collard greens. Garlo isn’t hesitant about adding his own mark.

“I’ve actually added a side,” Garlo said, “which is our gardenia salad, a pickled vegetable salad with cauliflower, carrots, peppercinis. I also added corn on the cob to the side bar.”

The sides also include other less regional fare like onion rings, French fries, succotash, mac and cheese, and feta pasta salad.

“I live in Sunderland. I knew how big it was,” Garlo said. “When I heard it was going out of business and selling everything, I was like, ‘wow! Might as well jump on the chance for this place because it’s a nice small restaurant, and I can expand it out and make it big and bad again.”

Big and bad means entertainment. The restaurant came with sufficient land, behind the structure, to offer live music. Garlo plans to apply for a full liquor license, open an outdoor beer garden and stage musical events. The venue won’t be visible from the street, Garlo said, and will be available for Jack and Jill’s, weddings, office and birthday parties. He will cater his own wedding in the spring.

“The only thing I’m missing is staff,” Garlo said. “There’s four of us, counting myself. I’ve had a lot of help from family and friends.”

Bub’s Bar-B-Q will be closed Monday and Tuesday, open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Weekend service will be offered noon to 8 p.m.