O Bar U Barbecue
Who We Are
Danny Ray Rice
Owner, Chef, USMC Veteran
Danny lives out the belief that "hard work pays off" and "passion fuels you forward". O Bar U Barbecue is a by product of that. Danny proudly served his country with 4 years in the U.S. Marine Corps and after 18 years of owning and operating a custom hardwood floor company in Boise, ID, he decided enough was enough. He began pursuing his passion for food in Arizona. He is an alumni of Le Cordon Bleu and has 12 years culinary experience in esteemed kitchens of the Phoenix area.
His ultimate dream was to one day own his own restaurant and he started with his first food truck, Smokey Blues Bistro in 2021. They thrived serving the surrounding communities for 3 years.
There was a greater dream however, to one day return to the Northwest so Danny and his wife, Leanna, could both be closer to family. So they set their course back to Leanna's home state and settled in Livingston, Montana!
​
The O Bar U Story
A tribute to the Engle Ranch
Leanna Rice (maiden name, Engle), grew up with her siblings working their family ranch outside of Big Timber, Montana. It was the legacy of her family and the values passed on to the next generations that inspired the name for O Bar U Barbecue.
​
In 1931, the Engle family purchased the O-U (pronounced "o-bar-u”) livestock brand which would be used to manage their herds on the Engle Ranch, established in 1949 off the Main Boulder River in McLeod, MT.
Mr. Clark Engle and his wife Helen started the business along with their young children at the time; Edith, Clair, Janice, Keith and Roger. As the family grew into their adult years, two of the sons, Keith and Roger, continued to operate the ranch alongside Clark and Helen; Keith along with his late wife, Marie, Roger and Susie and their children as well: Brian, Terri, Kristi, and Leanna.
​
The Engle ranch continues to operate today, with not only great-grand children, but great-great-grandchildren getting to walk through the fields first sown by Mr. Engle nearly 90 years ago. The family has been well loved by the community of Big Timber and many of the Engles continue to have an impact in the area today.
​
When Danny and Leanna moved back to Livingston with a dream to start another restaurant, they wanted to honor this rich legacy and history. With permission from "Uncle Keith", they named their food truck, "O Bar U Barbecue", using the branding iron as reference for their logo and photographs from the property as a memoir in the background of their trailer wrap.
To our family, this is about more than barbecue. It's about honoring those who raised us, the traditions they instilled in us, and the hard work they taught us. It's about FAMILY and the place that we call "home".
In loving memory of Roger Engle.
