Old Plantation On Dodson Avenue
Old Plantation Barb-Be-Que is closing after 53 years unless a new owner is found.
Ed Paris, who has been involved with the business for all those 53 years, said he recently suffered a stroke. He said, "I want to keep working. I would love to continue, but I am just not able to due to my health."
Mr. Paris said the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that workers are now very hard to find were other factors that the barbeque place has been closed for a lengthy time and is now for sale.
He said, "You can't get people to work anymore, and you can't do it all yourself."
He said he was only 13 when a leader at church said the operator of a barbeque business "needed a couple of young men."
Mr. Paris answered the call and has been there ever since.
He said his mother often smoked barbeque and he carefully watched how she did it.
Mr. Paris said two Combustion Engineering employees, Oscar Barton and Richard Huskey were involved in the founding and Bob Batson was also in at the start.
There have been several locations over the years, including on MLK Boulevard, the current location on Dodson Avenue, Hixson Pike and Third and Cumberland.
Mr. Paris said he and his wife, Tommie, have kept the business going in recent years. Bob Batson died in 2013 at the age of 95.
He said they have always stressed good customer service
Mr. Paris said the current building is designed specifically as a barbeque place.
He can be reached at 777-0316.