Owner of Acclaimed Alabama Barbecue Restaurant Dies at 84: ‘Big Shoes to Fill’

“He knows almost every customer that walked through the door,” McLemore’s grandson Andrew Lilly told PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

  • Hayward Don McLemore, the owner of popular Alabama barbecue restaurant Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, died at 84 on April 17
  • McLemore led the restaurant, founded by his grandfather in 1925, to accolades and national popularity
  • His grandson says he hopes to honor McLemore’s legacy with his family as they take over the restaurant

The owner of a beloved Alabama barbecue spot has died.

Hayward Don McLemore, owner of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, died on April 17, according to his obituary. He was 84.

McLemore, known as “Don,” took over Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, the family business his grandfather started in 1925, in 1972…

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