McDonough

This Local Food Truck is Opening a Brick and Mortar in McDonough: Poolie's BBQ & Grill

Poolie's is moving into the space left vacant by Quinn's Catering.

Image from Poolie's BBQ and Grill on Facebook

MCDONOUGH, GA – Poolie's BBQ & Grill plans a new restaurant, catering kitchen and food truck hub at 2054 Highway 42N, Mcdonough, Ga, 30253, owner Trenton Terrell told Business Debut in a phone interview.

He described the move as the next stage after operating the trailer for more than two and a half years.

What to Expect

Terrell said his late father, whose nickname was “Poolie,” shaped the restaurant’s purpose of supporting families and giving them a place to gather over barbecue.

“Our ministry is to just see families thrive,” Terrell told Business Debut.

Terrell traced the concept back to January 3, 2020, when his father died.

He told Business Debut his last words to his father were about carrying on his legacy.

About a year and four months later, Terrell said he had a vivid dream about walking into a cabin restaurant marked with his father’s nickname over the door.

The wagon wheel logo also comes from his father’s call sign at Bushy Creek Hunting Club in Georgia, Terrell shared with Business Debut.

He said he spent about a year after that dream in the kitchen, developing rubs and sauces that draw from his own barbecue experience and what his father taught him.

From there, he entered barbecue competitions, bought a large smoker and launched the trailer that now leads into the restaurant project.

Menu staples will center on Southern barbecue plates. Terrell highlighted pulled pork with hash and rice and two sides as a core offering.

He said customers also seek out brisket, smoked chicken wings, chicken quarters, smoked turkey breast and sides such as collard greens, mac and cheese, candied yams and baked beans.

The restaurant build-out allows him to activate the “grill” side of the concept. He plans to add steaks and pork chops from the grill in the new space, Terrell told Business Debut.

The new Poolie's BBQ & Grill will offer dine-in seating along with takeout, Terrell told Business Debut. He said the food truck will remain active for occasional pop-ups and community events, based out of the Highway 42N location.

Terrell shared with Business Debut that he plans to form a nonprofit arm to send the truck into neighborhoods to feed people in need.

Opening Timeline

Terrell is targeting an opening in about a month and a half, he told Business Debut. He said the team is waiting on permits and related approvals. An exact opening date is to be announced.