BBQ done brilliantly: how Jim ‘N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q brings slow-cooked Southern goodness to communities across the Southeast
Celebrating the very best of Southern American cuisine, Jim ‘N Nick’s Community Bar-B-Q (Jim ‘N Nick’s) embodies the artistry of slow-cooked BBQ with recipes that have been treasured for generations. With 61 restaurants across Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, the fast-growing business is all about delighting its customers with tasty dishes – no short-cuts in sight.
Jim ‘N Nick’s’ journey began in 1985 in an old, reclaimed pizza restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, and was founded under one simple philosophy: to “celebrate the heritage of revered bar-b-q masters, cut no corners on the menu, and serve the whole community like family”. Since then, the business has evolved from those humble roots to an icon in American BBQ, from close-knit community locations to private catering affairs. Today, Jim ‘N Nick proudly combines great value with delicious food to create a truly enjoyable and homely experience.
Old-school hospitality
Jim ‘N Nick’s’ Chief Executive Officer, Larry Ryback, has led the company for over six years and, during his tenure, he’s continued to drive home the core values and friendly, welcoming culture that have defined the business for four decades. With Jim ‘N Nick’s surpassing its 40th anniversary milestone in 2025, Food Chain sits down with Larry to uncover the secrets behind the company’s growth and success, and to learn why there truly is only one Jim ‘N Nick’s. He begins our conversation by introducing the key pillars of the business.
“We’re a scratch-made BBQ chain in the Southeastern United States, and we’ve just now opened our 61st store,” Larry says. “The real pillars of our brand are centered around the fact that we do things the old-fashioned way. Nothing that comes through our doors is pre-made; not one of our restaurants has a freezer or microwave. We make everything from scratch because we feel that real cooking makes a difference in both the food and the pride that people have in the company.
“Our other key pillar is that we offer real, genuine Southern hospitality,” he continues. “We connect well with our guests because we believe in old-school Southern manners and the quality of our food is genuine and sincere. We always try to hire friendly people whose personal values model ours, which is something that we really hold dear. Too often, a business’ mission and core values are emblazoned on a plaque in the restaurant and not truly lived, but we really use ours as a North Star to remind us of who we are and what we believe in every day. A huge part of our culture is that we all believe that we’re part of something different and that resonates throughout the organization. We all want to make people’s lives a little better through the food and the service that we offer.”
Timeless taste
Honoring these traditions, Jim ‘N Nick’s menu is bursting with slow-cooked Southern goodness. The company’s sizzling selection features everything from classic pulled pork, beef brisket, and BBQ chicken through to loaded mac and cheese, ribs, and fried catfish – all smothered in its iconic homemade BBQ sauce.
“Our menu is traditional, high-quality BBQ. We never freeze anything – even our proteins are all smoked in-house. Personally, I’m a huge fan of our brisket; I just love the bark, the Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper seasoning on it, and I respect how hard it is to do well. I also love our ribs. We have two different kinds: baby back and spareribs,” Larry enthuses. “We also serve turkey breast, pulled pork, whole and half chickens, and we have this delicious jalapeno cheddar sausage. Then we have the sides, which we call ‘trimmings’, all scratch-made the way your grandmother would – potato salad, mac and cheese, collard greens. All our recipes greatly stand the test of time, and we’re focused on executing them perfectly.”
Investing in people
By upholding its much-loved legacy, Jim ‘N Nick’s continues to grow and flourish. With up to nine locations set to open this year alone, the company is embarking further on its growth trajectory, bringing more culinary joy to more communities across the Southeast. Presently, Jim ‘N Nick’s is focusing on expansion in its existing markets and is set to open new restaurants in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, Winder, Georgia, and in Greater Raleigh, North Carolina. On top of these, the business is excited to open its first Mississippi restaurant in Olive Branch, alongside exploring further opportunities in Louisville and North and South Carolina. For Larry however, business growth isn’t just about restaurant numbers and revenue.
“When I think about growth, it’s not just transactional. If we keep expanding at our current pace, we’ll likely have 100 restaurants before 2030, but it’s not about having the restaurants themselves: it’s about serving 100 communities. The restaurant business is about the relationships that you build with your customers and communities, and I don’t want us to lose sight of that as we grow,” Larry explains.
“The biggest challenge we face as we continue to grow is keeping our culture strong, which is why our efforts to live our core values and keep them front and center is so important. We talk about our values every day and we begin almost every meeting by recognizing someone who has exemplified those core values. We’ve also invested significantly in onboarding and training to make sure that our people are really welcomed into the family when they first join and have all the training they need to be successful at their job from day one. On top of that, we really try to create upward mobility opportunities for our people, and we have a lot of ongoing training to help our young managers fulfil their aspirations.”
Authenticity, quality, and community
Through staying true to its roots and embracing thoughtful growth, Jim ‘N Nick’s enduring success continues to be defined by authenticity, quality, and community. By honoring legacy recipes, investing in its people, and maintaining a deep passion for genuine Southern hospitality, the company moves into the future with a continued dedication to enrich the communities it calls home, one meal at a time.
“Right now, we’re going to continue to expand across our Southeastern footprint and we’re considering further growth across South Florida. Further into the future, we’d like to move into Texas, but, because it’s a very competitive BBQ market, we want to be very thoughtful about how we approach that expansion,” Larry concludes. “I think we’ll likely accelerate our expansion over the next five years, but it’ll be very con-tingent on how well we perform along the way – we don’t want to just grow for growth’s sake.”