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Sonny's voted best BBQ chain in the country

I will say that the long lines yet substandard (on my visit anyway) bbq at the new 4Rivers shows that Tally is absolutely desparate for anything resembling good bbq.
 
FSUTribe76 said:
An old Florida chain called Fat Boys. There's about a handful still left, mainly in the Orlando area and Crystal River.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100518/ARTICLES/5181008

"Tillman learned to cook at his cousin Jesse Keller's Fat Boy's in Cocoa and after six years opened the Waldo Road restaurant on May 16, 1968, as a Fat Boy's, later changing the name to Sonny's Fat Boy's and eventually Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q. "
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Gotcha...we stopped at Bills BBQ in Cheifland yesterday and their sauces were very very close to Sonnys. We've passed Fatboys in Crystal River. Will try to check out someday as well.
 
From my 2 experiences at the Tampa location I'd concur, 4Rivers is vastly overrated BBQ!
 
DanC78 said:
Gotcha...we stopped at Bills BBQ in Cheifland yesterday and their sauces were very very close to Sonnys. We've passed Fatboys in Crystal River. Will try to check out someday as well.
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I'm 99.9999% sure that Bills is a former Fatboys franchisee that dropped the name when Fatboys was going through financial difficulties. Most of the former Fatboys didn't stop operating, they simply stopped paying the licensing fees and kept the same food (maybe with a few tweaks).

But Sonny (like all "good Gators") didn't just keep a former franchise open. He literally stole the recipe from the cousin nice enough to give him a job when he was on the outs and then went into direct competition against him by opening up chains of Sonnys to compete against the already existing Fatboys chain.

So that's one reason I avoid Sonnys for the most part. Not only is the founder a dirty Gator but he's a typical lying and thieving dirty Gator at that.

Literally stealing from family (shakes head).
 
FSUTribe76 said:
I'm 99.9999% sure that Bills is a former Fatboys franchisee that dropped the name when Fatboys was going through financial difficulties. Most of the former Fatboys didn't stop operating, they simply stopped paying the licensing fees and kept the same food (maybe with a few tweaks).

But Sonny (like all "good Gators") didn't just keep a former franchise open. He literally stole the recipe from the cousin nice enough to give him a job when he was on the outs and then went into direct competition against him by opening up chains of Sonnys to compete against the already existing Fatboys chain.

So that's one reason I avoid Sonnys for the most part. Not only is the founder a dirty Gator but he's a typical lying and thieving dirty Gator at that.

Literally stealing from family (shakes head).
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That would make sense...the booths and color scheme even looked similar to Sonnys.

The sauces had the same color and texture and for the most part tasted the same. The sweet sauce was much thicker and sweeter though, but tasted like it had the same ingredients.
 
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FSUTribe76 said:
If you're talking about the one in Tally, it wasn't good the one time I managed to get in the door (id driven there a couple of times and left after seeing the line). I'll give it one more shot.
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FSUTribe76 said:
I will say that the long lines yet substandard (on my visit anyway) bbq at the new 4Rivers shows that Tally is absolutely desparate for anything resembling good bbq.
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Yes, Tallahassee. I wonder what the deal is with our location? Why is it that Tallahassee always gets the retard version of what you get everywhere else?
 
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DanC78 said:
That would make sense...the booths and color scheme even looked similar to Sonnys.

The sauces had the same color and texture and for the most part tasted the same. The sweet sauce was much thicker and sweeter though, but tasted like it had the same ingredients.
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The other sauces beyond the original and hot (I believe) will be different. At the time of the Fatboys disintegration and diaspora it was mid 80s I believe and they only had regular and hot. All of the other sauces would have been created (using the original as a base I'm sure) after that.
 
FSUTribe76 said:
I'm 99.9999% sure that Bills is a former Fatboys franchisee that dropped the name when Fatboys was going through financial difficulties. Most of the former Fatboys didn't stop operating, they simply stopped paying the licensing fees and kept the same food (maybe with a few tweaks).

But Sonny (like all "good Gators") didn't just keep a former franchise open. He literally stole the recipe from the cousin nice enough to give him a job when he was on the outs and then went into direct competition against him by opening up chains of Sonnys to compete against the already existing Fatboys chain.

So that's one reason I avoid Sonnys for the most part. Not only is the founder a dirty Gator but he's a typical lying and thieving dirty Gator at that.

Literally stealing from family (shakes head).
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Bills was definitely a Fat Boys way back when.
 
1. I actually and literally could not eat a piece of BBQ meat that had white "sauce" of any kind on it. Vomit.
2. Sonny's BBQ best in the country? Is this a joke?
3. Dickey's was good when we lived in Dallas, but only for brisket.
4. 4 Rivers is pretty good and I will eat there because it's close to my house and they have decent sides plus ridiculous desserts.
 
LT4PLY said:
Yes, Tallahassee. I wonder what the deal is with our location? Why is it that Tallahassee always gets the retard version of what you get everywhere else?
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I have yet to find a single thing wrong with the 4 Rivers in Tallahassee after about 8 visits. The line has moved quickly every time. The food is very good and the service has been outstanding. I've been to the 4 Rivers in Jax and Gainesville and feel the Tally location is better than those.
 
update for me... I've been to Sonny's once and Woody's twice since first posting in thie thread. Sonny's > Woodys...
 
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Except you're from Jacksonville, goldmom, which makes you qualified to comment on things like convenience store bologna :)
 

Being from Texas doesn't make anybody more of an authority on bbq nor does being from Texas make anybody a better bbq cook...
 
FSUTribe76 said:
I'm 99.9999% sure that Bills is a former Fatboys franchisee that dropped the name when Fatboys was going through financial difficulties. Most of the former Fatboys didn't stop operating, they simply stopped paying the licensing fees and kept the same food (maybe with a few tweaks).

But Sonny (like all "good Gators") didn't just keep a former franchise open. He literally stole the recipe from the cousin nice enough to give him a job when he was on the outs and then went into direct competition against him by opening up chains of Sonnys to compete against the already existing Fatboys chain.

So that's one reason I avoid Sonnys for the most part. Not only is the founder a dirty Gator but he's a typical lying and thieving dirty Gator at that.

Literally stealing from family (shakes head).
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Next time you're in the Chiefland area, drive on by Bills and hit the BBQ place in Fanning Springs. Used to be called Huckleberrys, but the name changed and it escapes me at the moment. Excellent ribs.
 
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