The most charming small town restaurant in SC serves Texas-style BBQ, Food Network says
Bobby’s BBQ in Fountain Inn is so good an engineer stopped his freight train to get take out.
This from a pitmaster who learned the trade via You Tube videos. He and his wife, Sarah, opened in 2018.
Now they have been recognized as the most charming small-town restaurant in South Carolina by Food Network.
Ni’Kesia Pannell, owner of Peach State Drinks and who also writes for Food Network, wrote, “Though some people may just eat out of necessity and travel for pleasure, the truth is that if you can find a joyous way to fuse the two together, every bite you take can easily become an adventure. And while many people believe that you have to travel to other countries or big cities to experience the best parts of life, sometimes it’s those small towns that truly bring the charm and the must-have dishes that you’ll be raving about for years to come.”
Food Network picked the “best and most iconic small-town restaurants” in each state.
Of Bobby’s she wrote, “If South Carolina is on your list of places to visit soon, stopping in the small town of Fountain Inn will be a true treat.”
She noted that what makes Bobby’s special is precisely what could make some people not want to go: his self-taught YouTube education.
But she said, “Rest assured that Bobby’s is now one of the best barbecue spots in the state.”
Located on Main Street on the way from Simpsonville just before downtown Fountain Inn, the restaurant features Central Texas-style BBQ with beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey, house-made sausage, and homemade sides — some made from Mrs. Nelson’s family recipes.
At 12, Nelson started working as a dishwasher alongside his father, a chef at a Greenville restaurant, and then during high school summers he managed the luncheon service. His father, Bobby Nelson, died in 2008, his brother Bobby Jr. in 2009, and Nelson wanted to create something in their memory.
He started a seasoning company in 2010 using the spices his father used and adding some of his own to create Bobby’s All Purpose Seasoning, then Citrus blend and a BBQ Rub. The spices were featured in Forbes holiday guide that support chefs in 2020.
He began his YouTube education in 2014 watching Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas. Trial and error, cooking for friends led him to quit a manufacturing job and take what he calls a leap of faith to open Bobby’s.
He and Mrs. Nelson furthered their education learning about banking, business loans and the like before opening Bobby’s and a catering business.
It didn’t take long before lines of customers formed around the building and people were driving from Charleston, according to Google economic report.