Will’s Grill officially opened for business.
Halfway through the day, owner Will Hawkins said business was already booming.
“We fed about 96 people that came into the store but we probably put out 150 orders,” he said.
The take-out BBQ restaurant had a successful grand opening day, despite a few hiccups with the payment system.
Hawkins originally planned to open the doors in September, but delays with various zoning permits pushed the opening into 2015.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and it finally came… I’m wore out,” he said.
While the restaurant might be new, the food is already a familiar favorite among locals, as Hawkins has been sharing his Southern barbeque with the community since 2007, when he began cooking in front of local businesses.
“I cooked barbeque out of a tent at Metzger’s [Country Store], Jamison’s [Sales and Rental], and Chism’s [Hardware],” he said.
In 2010, Hawkins invested all of his retirement money into a food truck and the necessary upgrades so that he could operate Will’s Grill in various locations in the county.
As the popularity of his food truck grew, Hawkins knew his business would have to change in order to keep up.
“My business has grown over 40 percent every year since 2011,” he said. “I had to make the decision to go to a brick and mortar.”
But now that the building is open, Hawkins said he has no intentions of parking the food truck.
“We’re still going to do to the truck as a chain… It’s going to be parked at Jameson’s in the spring through fall,” he said.
And even more expansion could be on the horizon for the BBQ chain, Hawkins said.
“I’ve thought about building a bigger restaurant in Shelbyville,” he said, noting that he would like to establish a sit-down dining restaurant that could hold 200 to 300 patrons.
Hawkins believes the popularity of his barbeque is directly related to the unique flavor.
“I’m originally from Georgia so I do a true Georgia/North Carolina barbeque,” he said “My barbeque is different from anywhere else that you go around here.”
Hawkins learned his cooking techniques from an older generation of men in Georgia during church cookouts and various events, but the recipes he had to learn on his own.
“There’s no secrets in barbeque. We all use the same ingredients, just in different amounts,” he said. “Barbeque is not about sauce, it’s about the meat. Sauce enhances the meat.”
Hawkins believes he perfected his flavor in 1997 when he first opened Will’s Grill as a side job in Georgia.
But when his full-time job brought him to Kentucky, he reluctantly put his barbequing days on hold.
He quickly settled in Simpsonville, and made a mental note that he would one day open a barbeque spot in town.
In just four years, Will’s Grill was up and running again.
“It just seems like this is what I’m suppose to be doing,” he said.
When the time came for Hawkins to retire from his full-time career, he didn’t settle into an easy chair. Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity to finally focus on his dream.
“I did electrical controls for 20 years and I retired to be my own boss,” he said. “It’s been hard, but it’s been fun.”
Hawkins also caters his made from scratch dishes at weddings and other events.
But for Hawkins, the business is not just about making money.
“I take care of a lot of people around here, not just big businesses, the locals are eating here with me every day and they support me,” he said.
“I’m not just here to take their money, I’m here to work in the community and be a part of the community,” he said, explaining that in his time here he has catered fundraisers and made several donations. He added that he plans to continue to help out wherever he can.
And Hawkins takes as much pride in his barbeque as he does his community.
In his short time barbequing in Kentucky, Hawkins has already received several accolades, including the 2013 GFS Marketplace BBQ Champion, and his Facebook feed is full of praise, with 42 of his 45 customer reviews honoring him with five out of five stars.
Hawkins backs up those commendations, saying “When you’re all Will’s Grill, you’re at the place that tastes as good as it smells.”
BestofShelbyCountyKY 