Sonny's BBQ facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Genre | Restaurants |
| Founded | April 17, 1968 |
| Founder | Floyd 'Sonny' Tillman |
| Headquarters | , |
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Number of locations
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113 |
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Area served
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Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee |
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Key people
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Sonny Tillman, Jamie Yarmuth |
| Owner | Bob Yarmuth |
Sonny's BBQ is a popular restaurant chain that serves delicious barbecue food. It was started by a man named Floyd "Sonny" Tillman in Gainesville, Florida, way back in 1968. Today, Bob Yarmuth owns the company and is its main leader. Sonny's BBQ has many restaurants, mostly in the Southeastern United States, and its main office is in Maitland, Florida. They are famous for their yummy Southern-style BBQ.
The Story of Sonny's BBQ
Sonny's Real Pit-Bar-B-Q first opened its doors on April 17, 1968. Floyd "Sonny" Tillman and his wife Lucille started with just one restaurant in Gainesville, Florida. People loved their food so much that after nine years, in 1977, Sonny's began letting other people open their own Sonny's restaurants. This is called "franchising."
The menu had tasty pork, beef, ribs, chicken, and classic side dishes like beans. By 1988, Sonny's BBQ had grown quite a bit, with 77 restaurants in six different states. Sonny Tillman decided to sell the company around this time. Later, in 1991, Bob Yarmuth bought the company.
In the 2000s, Sonny's BBQ became the biggest BBQ restaurant chain in the United States. They had about 150 locations across nine states! In 2013, the company changed its name from Sonny's Real Pit-Bar-B-Q to simply Sonny's BBQ.
Sonny's Special Events
Sonny's BBQ celebrates Sonny Tillman's birthday every year on August 14. Even after selling the company, Sonny Tillman stayed involved. He would go to new restaurant openings and even appear in TV commercials.
Sonny's BBQ also does good things for communities. They have "Random Acts of BBQ" events. During these events, restaurants give a big BBQ meal to community volunteers and groups that help others. Since 2016, Sonny's BBQ has celebrated October 12 as National Pulled Pork Day. This special day is celebrated at all Sonny's locations.
What's on the Menu?
Sonny's BBQ serves lots of delicious Southern-style barbecue. Some popular items include pulled pork, sliced pork, and different kinds of ribs like baby back ribs and St. Louis-style ribs. They also have beef brisket, buffalo wings, burgers, and many appetizers.
Each Sonny's BBQ restaurant has a special part of the menu called "Pitmasters Pick." This section features the favorite dishes chosen by the pitmaster, who is the expert at cooking the BBQ.
More About Restaurants
- List of barbecue restaurants
