Don McLemore
“My grandfather figured out the sauce in 1925. Our job isn't to reinvent it — it's to make it taste the same every time you come in.”
Don McLemore was a grandson of founder Bob Gibson, and after Gibson's death in 1972 he and the other grandchildren took over the Decatur restaurant. He led its modern expansion, including the mid-1990s bottling and retail sale of the white and red sauces that spread the brand nationally, and brought son-in-law Chris Lilly into the business in 1992. Recognized as a barbecue pioneer, he remained a guiding figure of the operation for decades.
Philosophy
Don't reinvent the recipes — make sure they taste the same every single time.
Technique
Uphold the original hickory-pit method of long, slow smoking of whole pork shoulders passed down from Bob Gibson.