DEL.ICIO.USBarbecue stand's fans fight owner's eviction
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/02/08
Barbecue in general stirs people's passions.
Bill Green's Backyard Barbecue in particular delights scores of fans in Duluth, where he's fired up his 1-ton Oklahoma Joe smoker for years in the parking lot of the Peachtree Hill Kroger on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard.
 Eileen Drennen/AJC/ | ||
| Bill Green and his Oklahoma Joe smoker had been delighting Duluth's barbecue lovers for more than 10 years in the corner of a Kroger parking lot on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. | ||
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A fixture at the town's popular Fall Festival, Green makes his own line of sauces and attracts a crowd of 'cue lovers, weather permitting, most Wednesdays-Fridays.
When loyal fans heard he'd been unceremoniously evicted from his Duluth perch last month by a property management company, they got mad.
One started an online petition, which by Tuesday had collected 215 signatures and pages of endorsements.
"Bill's BBQ stand has supported my business in Duluth for years," wrote Randy Renbarger, who works at a local church. "It would be a loss. Besides, I would almost always shop Kroger following a meal."
City Councilman Jim Dugan added his name, noting, "I have known Bill personally for over 20 years and have enjoyed his BBQ at Kroger's since he set up there. . . . He brings a lot of business by being there. Few things draw a crowd better than the smell of fresh-cooked BBQ!"
Sean Dunlop, the software engineer behind the site, said he's been lunching at Green's smoker "probably once a week for eight years" and considers his stand an important fixture in that part of town.
"I knew he had a lot of loyal customers," Dunlop said. "And I knew an online petition would be a way to let them get their feedback in."
Green, whose 1-ton Oklahoma Joe smoker is currently parked in his driveway, says he is pursuing other Duluth locations, starting with other Krogers.
The grocery giant is not behind Green's departure. The chef and 'cue magnate caters for Kroger events, sells his sauces at some of its stores — and credits Kroger employees with getting him started in onsite barbecue in the first place. He's still serving up barbecue every other Saturday at the Russell Ridge Kroger in Lawrenceville.
"Kroger's been great," Green said. "They've allowed me to make a living with their customers. . . . People like being next to the chef, you can see what you're getting and interact with me while you're getting it."
The eviction notice came from Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, which recently bought the Peachtree Hill shopping center. Local property manager Debbie Ellington served Green notice in a letter in mid-March, during the lunch hour. It said he needed to cease "all business transactions on our property" or "be considered trespassing."
Green said his subsequent communications with Ellington have gone unanswered.
Kroger's Ted Sarosy, Kroger's manager of loyalty/ advertising, said the chain's real estate department is working on "setting up a dialogue" with Ramco-Gershenson "so we can work out the best possible solution."
"Bill Green has been in our stores for some time," Sarosy said. "[But] we have individual landlords across many of our locations, and each one represents an individual relationship."
Ellington declined comment Monday, referring questions to a superior.
Michael Sullivan, Ramco-Gershenson's senior vice president of asset management, said his company acted quickly because of "potential liabilities" with Green's operation.
But, he added, "if we can identify that Kroger is interested in having the operator there . . . and the operator is compliant in all areas . . . and in fact the operator creates an enhanced experience for people that shop at that center, we'll enter into a conversation."
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