Bayou Eats | Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q

ARTICLE BY STARLA GATSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q has been well-loved since its 1977 opening, and it would no doubt be one of the favorite establishments listed by residents of the Twin Cities.

Ask a dozen Ouachita Parish natives to list their favorite local landmark, and you’ll probably get 12 different answers. Through the years, the Twin Cities has housed countless beloved establishments, and many of them have been thriving for decades. Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q is one of them. The barbecue joint has been well-loved since its 1977 opening, and it would no doubt be one of the favorites listed by a local or two!

Nearly 50 years ago, James “Freddy” Moses saw a need for a barbecue restaurant in Monroe. When he shared this with two of his close friends, John Hopper and Jerry Keever, they agreed. The three men took it upon themselves to fill the barbecue-shaped void in the Twin Cities and opened the first Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q location at 2400 Louisville Avenue. The restaurant’s name is a very southern, slangy pronunciation of the word “partner.” 

“MLB player and sports broadcaster Dizzy Dean used it,” explains Hopper. 

Restaurant ownership wasn’t new to Keever, as he owned and operated the now-closed ToTo’s Hamburgers in Monroe. On the other hand, Hopper and Moses were in uncharted territory, coming into the business with experience as a contractor and traveling salesman, respectively. 

Still, even with limited food industry experience from two-thirds of the founding “podnuhs,” the barbecue restaurant was a hit. Business boomed, and the demand was so high that the three decided to expand, venturing across the Ouachita River to West Monroe. In 1979, the second Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q location opened on Splane Drive, the same address it has today. 

Once expansion started, it didn’t stop. Two stores became three, four, five, and so on, and the trio of owners turned into a four-top when Hopper’s brother, Jarrell, joined the company. By 2000, there were 12 Podnuh’s locations: four in Monroe-West Monroe, four in Shreveport-Bossier, and four in and around Baton Rouge. Podnuh’s had become Louisiana’s largest barbecue chain — a far cry from its humble beginnings in an approximately 40-capacity rented building on Louisville. 

When asked if they ever anticipated such massive, rapid growth, Hopper answers quickly: “No.” He laughs before continuing, “We didn’t even know if the first store would make it. We just wanted to make it in that one location.” 

Hopper’s daughter, Kristi Vinson, doesn’t seem to share her father’s surprise at the positive reception the restaurant received from the very beginning. The three men boldly put themselves and their food out into the community, she says, explaining, “[They] went and set up a booth at the fair to get their name out there, and [the food] quickly became a favorite.” That extra effort put in to build their reputations, she reasons, played a big role in the business’s success and growth. 

As the old saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” Podnuh’s in its original ownership and glory was no exception. In August 2000, the four men decided to sell their storefronts and all operations to a Monroe-based investment group. Their days of slinging chopped beef sandwiches — and, of course, overseeing several stores’ worth of employees as they did the same — were over. That chapter of all of their lives had ended. At least, that’s what they thought.

While the buyout marked the end of Moses’ and Keever’s involvement in Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q, it was just the beginning of a hiatus for the Hopper brothers. In 2009, the chance to repurchase the company’s Monroe and Baton Rouge market areas landed in their laps. They jumped at the opportunity and bought back those locations. They revived the original recipes and cooking methods, with Jarrell taking over the Baton Rouge stores and John at the helm of the Monroe-West Monroe locations. 

After the repurchase, Podnuh’s once again expanded. John’s daughter, Kristi, and his son-in-law, Todd, joined the company, and now, the three of them take care of and manage the two Ouachita parish storefronts. 

Todd had recently retired from police work — “Early retirement,” both he and his wife clarify, laughing — when he began working with his father-in-law in 2015. 

“It just kind of made sense,” he recalls. 

Kristi came along not long after, and, like her husband, she says that her involvement with Podnuh’s seemed like a logical next step. After all, she adds, she’d grown up around it, and getting to glimpse so closely into the ins and outs of the barbecue spot gave her an appreciation for it. That appreciation for the business remains, and Kristi has a desire to not only preserve the positive reputation that Podnuh’s has but also to continue building it. 

“It’s a staple in the community,” she says. “A lot of people [leave and] come back, and Podnuh’s is one of the things they want to eat. We just want to keep that going.” 

Country superstar and Start native Tim McGraw is just one example of those people. In a 2010 edition of “People Magazine,” the singer shouted out Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q as his all-time favorite place to buy barbecue, specifically mentioning one of the restaurant’s most loved items: the BBQ baked beans. 

Those kind words from McGraw mean a lot to Kristi, her husband, and her father, and not just because he’s a Grammy award-winning public figure. It’s because he’s a satisfied customer, and the Podnuh’s crew deeply appreciates each of those. 

“It’s a true blessing,” Kristi says of Podnuh’s being a go-to for so many. “We wouldn’t be anywhere without customers.” 

Their gratitude is more than just words; it comes through in their actions, too, as they give back to the community that supports them whenever and however they can. Sometimes, that looks like sponsoring a children’s ball team and others, offering schools or organizations catering services at discounted rates. 

“We do all kinds of stuff [like that],” Kristi says, adding, “The community supports us, so we support them.” 

You might think after so many years in business, the Hopper-Vinson clan would get tired of barbecue. Surprisingly, though, they aren’t. 

“People ask me all the time, ‘Do you get sick of it?’,” Todd says. “I say no because I can eat something different every day — beef, pork, ribs, chicken, ham, or turkey.” 

Many Podnuh’s patrons have been regulars for decades, and they probably share Todd’s logic, continuing to come back for the variety. Besides the meats he lists, Podnuh’s also offers sides like potato salad, coleslaw, green beans, turnip greens, and, of course, the iconic BBQ baked beans, and everything offered in-store is made fresh from scratch. It’s all also gluten-free, except for the peach cobbler. 

Hopper prides the restaurant on offering everything, from individual plates to family-size feasts, at affordable prices. According to him, those also play a role in Podnuh’s boasting so many repeat customers. 

“Some of our customers have come up and say, ‘Look, we love your barbecue, and we want you to stay in business, but y’all are not charging enough; we’re afraid you’re not going to stay open,’” he jokes, before adding, “Inflation hit, but still, we’re looked at around town as one of the lower-priced food places.” 

Menu variety and affordability undoubtedly play a role in Podnuh’s Bar-B-Q’s longevity. But the friendly atmosphere certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s truly a family affair, not just in terms of ownership and management, but with other employees, too. In fact, Kristi mentions that sometimes, the employees genuinely are family, as her children often step in as employees, helping out with catering jobs when needed.  

“We’ve watched their kids grow up, they’ve watched our kids grow up,” Kristi says of her relationship with members of the Podnuh’s crew. “That’s the most rewarding [part of it all] to me.” 

At this point, there are even customers who feel like family, though they may not ever interact with them beyond the walls of the barbecue joint. 

“In both stores, we have our regulars,” Kristi says, “and knowing that they like us that much is rewarding to me.” 

Whether a repeat guest or a first-timer, the people of Podnuh’s certainly appreciate every person who walks through the doors at 810 Splane Drive in West Monroe or 1108 Sterlington Road in Monroe. Even if you can’t come by in person, you can still show your support of the longtime local favorite — book catering services online at www.podnuhsbbq.com or order delivery through DoorDash.