Sconyers Bar-B-Que

Sconyers Bar-B-Que, also known as Sconyers Inc., is a Southern barbecue restaurant and catering business based in Augusta, Georgia. The business began in 1956, when Claude and Adeline Sconyers opened a roadside stand in the rural south side of Augusta. From that small operation, the family developed a long-running local restaurant associated with regional barbecue and Southern-style food. The company has remained family owned and operated. Larry Sconyers, the youngest son of Claude and Adeline, became the proprietor and made the decision to move the restaurant to its present location. Under his leadership, the business expanded beyond restaurant service to include catering, broadening its role from a neighborhood food establishment to a provider for larger private, civic, and institutional events. Catering became an important part of the brand's public profile. In 1980, Sconyers was invited to cater a Southern-style event for President Jimmy Carter at the White House. The engagement demonstrated that the restaurant's food and service had gained recognition beyond Augusta, while still being rooted in the regional barbecue tradition associated with its origins. Sconyers Bar-B-Que has also received public and media recognition. People magazine listed it among the top ten barbecue restaurants in the United States in 1989. In February 2006, Congressman Charlie Norwood commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the restaurant's opening with an address in the United States House of Representatives. The Georgia General Assembly separately issued an official commendation through House Resolution 1388. The available reference material identifies Sconyers primarily as an Augusta-based restaurant and catering brand rather than as a national chain. Its identity rests on continuity of family ownership, Southern barbecue, local reputation, and the ability to serve both everyday restaurant customers and catered events. No evidence in the supplied material indicates a public listing, a parent corporation, a broad franchise network, or an ownership change away from the Sconyers family.

Sconyers Bar-B-Que traces its origins to 1956 in Augusta, Georgia. Claude and Adeline Sconyers established the business as a roadside stand in the rural south side of the city. The original format was modest, but it placed the family at the center of Augusta's developing barbecue culture and created the basis for a business that would continue under family ownership. The restaurant later moved from its original roadside setting to its current location. Larry Sconyers, the youngest son of Claude and Adeline, is identified as the owner and as the person who decided to relocate the restaurant and expand its activities. This transition marked an operational shift from a small roadside business toward a more established restaurant with a wider service model. A major element of that expansion was catering. Sconyers developed catering capabilities in addition to serving customers at the restaurant. The business's catering profile reached a national audience in 1980, when it was invited to provide food for a Southern-style event for President Jimmy Carter at the White House. The event connected the Augusta restaurant with a prominent national venue while highlighting the regional character of its cuisine. The brand received further attention in 1989, when People magazine placed it among the top ten barbecue restaurants in the United States. This recognition contributed to its reputation beyond Georgia, although the available material does not describe Sconyers as a chain or indicate that it pursued large-scale national expansion. The restaurant's fiftieth anniversary in 2006 prompted official recognition. In February of that year, Congressman Charlie Norwood marked the anniversary in a speech before the United States House of Representatives. The Georgia General Assembly also issued House Resolution 1388 to commend the business. These acknowledgments emphasized its longevity and its place in Augusta's local business and food history. Across the history described in the reference material, Sconyers Bar-B-Que is characterized by continuity rather than repeated corporate transformation. The business remained family owned and operated, with its identity built around Southern barbecue, a local restaurant presence, and catering for larger events. The available sources do not provide detailed information about recipes, menus, staffing levels, financial performance, additional locations, franchising, or current expansion plans. They do, however, establish a clear arc from a 1956 roadside stand to a recognized Augusta restaurant and catering operation that has retained its family connection.

• 2006

  Fiftieth-anniversary congressional recognition

  [1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  Congressman Charlie Norwood recognized the restaurant's fiftieth anniversary in the United States House of Representatives, and the Georgia General Assembly issued House Resolution 1388.

• 1989

  People magazine recognition

  [1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  People magazine listed Sconyers among the top ten barbecue restaurants in the United States.

• 1980

  White House catering engagement

  [1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  The business catered a Southern-style event for President Jimmy Carter at the White House.

• 1956

  Founding as a roadside stand

  [1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  Claude and Adeline Sconyers opened a roadside barbecue stand in the rural south side of Augusta, Georgia.

A longstanding, family-owned Augusta barbecue institution combining traditional Southern food with restaurant and catering services.

• Restaurant food · 1956

  Southern barbecue restaurant meals

  The restaurant's core offering is Southern-style barbecue served through its Augusta restaurant operation. The supplied reference material establishes the barbecue and Southern-food focus but does not provide a complete menu, specific meat varieties, side dishes, sauces, or preparation methods.

• Catering service

  Barbecue catering

  Catering is an important extension of Sconyers Bar-B-Que's restaurant business. The service was developed as part of the expansion led by Larry Sconyers and has supported larger Southern-style events, including a White House engagement in 1980. Specific packages and service formats are not documented in the supplied sources.

• Relocation and expansion into cateringStrategy

  Background

  After the business began as a roadside stand, Larry Sconyers decided to move the restaurant to its current location and broaden its operations.

  Action taken

  The company expanded from its original restaurant format to include catering services.

  Aftermath

  The expanded catering operation later served a White House event for President Jimmy Carter in 1980, increasing the brand's visibility beyond Augusta.

  Source

• 2006

  Congressional address marks the restaurant's fiftieth anniversary[1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Congressman Charlie Norwood recognized Sconyers Bar-B-Que's fiftieth anniversary in an address to the United States House of Representatives.

• 2006

  Georgia General Assembly issues an official commendation[1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Georgia General Assembly formally commended Sconyers Bar-B-Que through House Resolution 1388 in connection with the restaurant's fiftieth anniversary.

• 1989

  People magazine recognizes Sconyers among the leading barbecue restaurants[1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  People magazine listed Sconyers Bar-B-Que among the top ten barbecue restaurants in the United States.

• 1980

  Sconyers caters a White House event for President Jimmy Carter[1]Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Sconyers Bar-B-Que was invited to cater a Southern-style event for United States President Jimmy Carter at the White House, giving the Augusta restaurant national visibility.

1. 1Sconyers Bar-B-Queen.wikipedia.org