Tampa BBQ restaurant has served dishes with southern love since 1968: 'It's not just food'

TAMPA, Fla. - The Reverend John A. Stephens moved to Tampa from Eufala, Alabama. In 1968, he started a small restaurant cooking up food that he loved from back home.

His family helped him run it back then, and they still run it now. The rest is Tampa history.

His grandson Corey Miller recalls it this way, "Big John's Alabama Barbecue is food, but it's not just food. It's a way to communicate with the city and with anyone that comes by, what we do everyday."

The restaurant has a passion for good quality food and a passion for people.

"We are just trying the provide the community and the city just a little bit of southern love. It's a passion, and it's a love. It's just something my grandfather passed down," shared Miller.

That love in food form comes in barbecue ribs, chicken and sausage complete with the traditional southern sides.

READ: Fast casual Cuban bakery and café in Tampa

"Each piece of meat we put a little bit of that, we call it 'Alabama water'. It's like a little southern marinade. We just have a consistent taste since '68," shared Miller.

Miller and his entire kitchen staff strive for that consistency every day.

"From our grill, to the board, to the plate," he said. "We try to give you the best that we have to offer."

And it's what they consistently bring to the table that brings the customers back again and again.

"As long as we feel number one to our customers, and to the city, that's what makes us number one," explained Miller. "No matter how good your product may be, if you don't have good customers, you don't have anything."

You'll find Big John’s Alabama BBQ at 5707 N. 40th Street in Tampa. They are open six days a week beginning at 11 a.m.

To view their menu and more information, click here.

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