ELBRIDGE - There are no neon signs blinking and no speakers bouncing to the beat of music. Instead the owner smiles and waves at every passing car, a karaoke mike stands in a non-existent dining room and the cook grills in the parking lot.

This peculiar combination creates the charm of the Circle C Barbecue in Elbridge, a roadside restaurant with a philosophy that everyone stepping foot on the property is part of the family.

“Some people are afraid - they don't know what to expect here. But I just keep waving and smiling,” said Sheryll Harrison, co-owner along with her husband and barbecue master, Craig Harrison. “And sometimes, if I really can't get their attention, I'll run up to their car. They'll crack up.”

If that doesn't work, her greeting on the mic of, “we got ribs and chicken for you; and if you are a slob, we got bibs for you,” should at least draw a smile.

But the real joy is in the eating.

Napkins are not necessary.

These are ribs with a flavor that slides over taste buds with a hint of wood smoke, sweet tomatoes and spices. It is meant to be licked, not wiped, from fingers.

“I don't let them off the grill until I say their done,” Craig said, with a finality and tone that can't be questioned. He is no temperamental chef, just one that knows a great thing when he, and a growing number of faithful customers, taste one.

“It's a process,” he said. “I make sure the heat's maintained at a certain level.”

“Slow cooking, with our seasoning rub,” Sheryl added. “And after it's done, we sear it again with the sauce.”

“Then,” they said in unison, “for the last part, we leave it (the secret) alone. Nobody knows.”

Except Sheryl's mother, Barbara O'Neil. She created the barbecue sauce 34 years ago that not only spawned her own restaurant in Seattle, Wa., but her son's in neighboring Olympia, her grandson's (Sheryl's son) in Tacoma and now The Circle C in Elbridge.

But barbecuing is not the only quality that Sheryl intends to emulate of her mother's.

“July 16 is Barbara O'Neil day in Olympia. They have a parade. She's an advocate for the homeless; right now she has a clothing bank, furniture bank, food bank. Last Christmas, she served nearly 3,000, on Thanksgiving. I have like 45 foster sisters and brothers. They're not family by blood, but we're all family,” she said, regarding the foster home her mother once operated.

It is just the faith-based way of reaching out to the community that she, and her husband, wish to contribute to Elbridge. Already, they hand out hot dogs and soda to those who have stopped by and are needy. Eventually, they would like to rent a facility to take in unwanted furniture and restore the pieces for the needy.

Furthermore, they insist those that are helping out running the restaurant as a favor until it turns a profit, are their family.

“Whatever my mom had, I've got. If you're hungry spiritually or otherwise, we'll feed you, either way. In this neck of the woods, I want to reach out to the teenagers. Give them a place to come and get a $1.25 hot dog and pop. If they're in trouble, try to turn them around. The way my mother turned people around is to have people turn around and look at themselves,” she said. “We want to help the community.”

And when you drive past, just remember, even if you're not hungry, don't forget to wave.