From the backyard pit to South Madison Street
Jimmy and Audrey McMeans turned twenty years of legendary backyard cookouts into a restaurant built on faith, patience, and food good enough for their own table.
BawBaw's BBQ | Our Story
The backyard pit
Jimmy didn't start with a restaurant — he started with a fire, welding his own smoker from scrap farm parts. He spent years adjusting rubs late into the night, because when you care that much, you build what you can't buy.
Fourth of July, every year
For over two decades, that smoker anchored the McMeans family gatherings — neighbors pulling up chairs, smoke hanging in the Alabama air. Every recipe on the menu today was earned at those tables first.
Faith, family, and low and slow
Jimmy and Audrey believe faithful hands and patient hearts make better food. "Low and slow" isn't just a cooking method — it's how this family does everything.
310 South Madison Street
When BawBaw's opened at 310 South Madison Street, Athens showed up — and kept coming back for award-winning ribs, moist smoked chicken, and homemade sides that taste like grandmother made them.