CULLMAN – Johnny’s Barbecue has been in business for more than 52 years serving smoky barbecue to the masses. They are known for their friendly service, huge potatoes, and award winning barbecue. It is for these reasons and more that you can find their name in the new book released by the Alabama Tourism Department, Alabama Barbecue: Delicious Road Trips.
“The book is designed as a road trip guide for barbecue lovers,” said Lee Sentell, state tourism director. Included in the book are legendary barbecue restaurants, promising newcomers, a profile of the “Top Ten Barbecue Folks” in the state and a special recipe section.
Annette Thompson, former travel editor for Southern Living and president of the Society of American Travel Writers, and photographer Art Meripol took their own road trip across Alabama to explore the barbecue culture in the state.
“A recent survey revealed that the highest percentage of restaurants in Alabama are barbecue versus those in any other state. That gives our state the bragging rights to declare ourselves The Barbecue State. Now that’s not official, but nobody else can match our claim to be so devoted to one food group, assuming that Barbecue is a food group. If it isn’t, it should be,” said Sentell.
Among the 75 restaurants featured, Culllman’s very own Johnny’s Barbecue made the cut. It is an exciting opportunity for the business to receive attention from all over the state.
“With so many Bar-B-Q restaurants in the state, it is an honor and quite humbling to be asked to be included in the recent book, Alabama Barbecue: Delicious Road Trips,” said Gary Wiggins, Johnny’s owner. “We have been family owned and operated going on 53 years now and we continue to work on serving the customer a quality product.”
Johnny’s has continued to grow over their 53 years, learning new and innovative ways to bring fresh barbecue to hungry patrons.
“This past year, we have worked on growing our delivery, catering, and vending side of the business,” said Wiggins. “By vending at several events in the city and county, we have met people from out of town that have never heard of us. We have also had long time customers that request and support us at these local events. It has been a great experience going out to the people and allowing many to experience Johnny's for the first time.”
There are a lot of things that have contributed to the success of the restaurant, but it all comes back to the loyal customers according to Wiggins. Part of that repeat success comes from the hard work of the staff to help ensure all aspects of the BBQ joint run smoothly.
“We also take a lot of pride in maintaining a clean environment for both our customers and our employees. Without the support of many local repeat customers over the years and many faithful employees that have been with us a number of years, we could have never managed to stay in business for as long as we have,” said Wiggins.
“Our carry out business continues to grow and we are constantly looking for new ways of packaging in order for the customer to enjoy a good meal when they get back to work or home. Customers have always and will continue to be first at Johnny's,” he continued.
To order copies of the book, please contact Carl Bates of Advance Central Services Alabama at (205) 325-2237 or at cbates@acsal.com. The book is also available at Books-A-Million stores and online at amazon.com.
Chelsea Sparks may be contacted by email at chelsea@cullmansense.com.
