Bertram McCray started selling ribs on the side of the road with a grill and a tent, and has now opened an outpost of his Mustard Seed BBQ at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

McCray has two Mustard Seed BBQ spots in Atlanta, a Cascade location on Westmont Road and a West End location on Metropolitan Parkway.

He was approached by concessionaire Delaware North to open a version of Mustard Seed BBQ at the airport. Airport and concessions officials gathered Thursday to mark the arrival of the new restaurant, open since late February on Concourse D with a smoker in the kitchen.

After learning to barbecue in his mother’s backyard and setting up shop roadside, “Never did I ever imagine that I’d be in the busiest airport in the world,” McCray said. “It’s finally paid off.”

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Postcard depicting the predecessor to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Candler Field, c. 1927. The city signed a lease with Asa Candler to open the airfield in 1925. (Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center)

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Managing Partner at Atlantica Properties, Darion Dunn (center) talks with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens during a tour following the ribbon cutting of Waterworks Village as part of the third phase of the city’s Rapid Housing Initiative on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025.
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Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez