Photo Credit: Jeff Harris (One Take Production)
Mr. Shelley “Buth” Anthony is a shining example of the American Dream. He is the Owner of This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q has been an integral part of the fabric of the Atlanta community for four decades. The unique establishment of faith, family, favor, and flavor is the home of the joyous chant, “It’s the rib tips!” which has become a staple for the restaurant.
To recognize this significant milestone, we will take you on a journey of the company’s history and success to date, its impact on the surrounding areas, and give you access to the exciting activities to come for its 40th anniversary.
As part of the celebration, the CEO and founder, Mr. Shelley “Butch” Anthony, III, a man of faith who is the epitome of accomplishing great things through Christ, has planned special festivities to commemorate this feat. One is the premiere of his transparent documentary, This Is It: The Miracle of BBQ, directed by Tammy Williams, the first Black woman to own a production studio in Georgia.
A testament to God’s blessings, the documentary fuses the current-day success and expansion of the restaurant to over ten stores with the 40-year history of the family-owned enterprise. It explores the obstacles and struggles of entrepreneurship, revealing how Anthony, through his faith in God, defied the odds—overcoming struggles of addiction, having a limited education, ultimately creating a rich legacy.
The milestone anniversary, sponsored by The People’s Station, V- 103 (WVEE-FM), will kick off with the red-carpet premiere of the documentary, This Is It! The Miracle of BBQ on Sunday, June 11, 2023 at Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox Theatre at 6:00 PM.
FMM: Your family has a rich family history in the restaurant industry. Share your background.
Our family’s history in the restaurant industry started in the 1930s in Camilla, Georgia, where my grandfather had a little shack. Then my mother and father, Lillian and Shelley Anthony, II, started Anthony’s Drive Inn in 1951 in Tampa, Florida. I started, Butch’s Slide Inn & Bar-B-Q in 1976 in Decatur, Georgia. Then I started This Is It! in 1983. I was determined. I just worked it and worked it and worked it. Nothing worked that I tried until I gave my life to Christ. My wife, Diane got filled with the Holy Ghost in 1986, and I got it in 1987. We started out in 1983 as This Is It! Fish, Shrimp and More. In 1986, God gave me the name Jesus and Butch, Inc. and we’ve been making it work ever since.
FMM: This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q stands as a shining example of a true American success story, however you have faced challenges along the way. How did you overcome challenges that made you one of the best success stories in BBQ history?
Success, to me, is feeling as though I have not disappointed God as I go forth in my every day walk. Making efforts to make sure I’m not disappointing Him is my number one factor. I also believe that success is having a good name. What God gave me in 1987 is that your name must, first, be good enough to be written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then it has to be good enough to do business with men you see every day. You have to be able to keep your word. That’s your success. I didn’t start off with money, and I have learned that I can’t pay for everything at the back door. So, if your name is not good, you can’t do anything. God told me in 1987 (when I got saved) that because of my journey, my name had to be right. I learned along the way that banks don’t loan money to restaurants and nightclubs because they close so often; many shut down in a year or two. But if your name is right, the money will find you. If your name isn’t right, no one will let you have anything. God will touch people’s heart on your behalf to give you favor if you’re operating in His will.
So, I didn’t always have the financial resources. I know what it’s like to really struggle. The key to it all is perseverance and doing what you need to do to keep your name right.
Another challenge is that of simply being a Black man in America. It’s very difficult for a Black man to be in business. Unfortunately, the playing field is not always level. Think of it this way: a Black man may start out in the dugout, whereas a White man starts out on third base. The Black man may be simply trying to get to the plate to get a hit, whereas his counterpart is ready to score.
Photo Credit: Jeff Harris (One Take Production)
FMM: Tell us about your mantra, “Faith, Family, Favor, and Flavor” and how they are the cornerstones of your multi-million-dollar empire.
These four principles really do summarize how we have operated over these 40 years.
Faith: An entrepreneur in the Hebrew means a man of faith and a risk taker. A lot of people want to be entrepreneurs, but many are not willing to take a risk. You have to have enough faith to know that there is no risk in God if you’re doing what He would have you to do. If there’s a struggle, He’s already made a way. I seek God for the direction of this company. We have also made a statement of being closed on Sunday so that our employees may have that time for worship if they desire and quality time with their family.
Family: I believe the two most important decisions a person can make in their life: (1) having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (or whoever they identify with spiritually) and (2) who you marry. If you marry the wrong one, it could be a detriment to your journey, vision or dream; it can make or break a person. When you have hopes, dreams and goals, you will need the buy-in of your family, especially your spouse. You have to know that if what you’ve been given to pursue is from God, a lot of pain will be involved. There will be a lot of struggle and hardship, but the right mate will help pull you through it.
Favor: God owns favor. He can do with it what He wants to do with it. He can put it on those whom He knows will take care of it and not abuse it. So, to me, favor is necessary. God has to favor you. You need the favor of God to rest on your life and what you’re doing. Without it, there’s only so far you can go. But with it, God can put one person in your life who can change your entire trajectory. You could be one person away from God changing your life forever.
Flavor: The Bible says, “O, taste and see that the Lord is good.” We have experienced that in more ways than one. When it comes to delivering our food, we want to taste all of God’s goodness in the flavor. It’s God’s anointing. It comes from God. What you taste at the end of the day is the anointing. God has touched what we do. He has anointed what we do. It makes the aroma good, makes it taste good, makes everything come together. With the anointing, you can taste the love, you can taste the history.
Photo Credit: Jeff Harris (One Take Production)
FMM: You have 50 years of recipes and exclusive Hickory smoked flavorings, tell us about your award-winning BBQ Rib Tips.
In the late 1980s, God had me to start selling rib tips. I went to Chicago to visit my uncle and they sold rib tips there. That’s where I picked it up. Then I found out there was a meat plant there that cut rib tips. I visited at a later time to talk to them about making a cut for This Is It! We were able to come up with a cut of meat that was trimmed and cut just for us. That’s the way the rib tips started. We started cooking them and people started liking them. It became such a hit that I started branding that one product and constantly talking about it. Over the years, it caught on. We had a jump start on pretty much everybody. When we started selling the rib tips, the part that was so popular was the small end. That’s what people used to like back in the day: the small end of the rib. It’s an item that we started off selling a small amount of. It was maybe a few hundred pounds and now we sell tractor trailer loads. God used that item to elevate the company.
Charles Mitchell Photography
Whiting fish was another item. We have our own BBQ sauce, our own private label seasonings, and our own private label fish batter. All of these came from us working with different seasonings and coming up with the right flavor for the BBQ sauce and the fish batter. And today, we have our own crispy chicken fish batter and our own hot sauce. God has just put His hand on a lot of different private label items that He has allowed us to develop over time.
FMM: What is new at your restaurant?
A number of exciting things are on the horizon. We will have boxed lunches for businesses, and we also have a new catering menu coming out this summer. Perhaps the most exciting thing is that we have a new state-of-the-art, staple location opening in January on Camp Creek Parkway. It will be our new flagship location. It is a two-story building with new colors and a whole new look. It is definitely giving a wow factor.
Charles Mitchell Photography.
FMM: Do you believe that God can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things?
Of course, I do! I believe God likes to use ordinary people because they make more of an impact. I consider myself as an ordinary person. With no formal education and no formal guidance, I really am the underdog. Yet, somehow deep down inside, I knew God had a plan for my life. I have had to look to God to show me what to do and to guide me along the way. His guidance is extremely important in my life because I know I can’t do this without Him. I know that. And it is so very important to try and stay meek and humble so He can use me. And I want Him to get the glory out of what I do. One thing is for sure: when you represent Christ, you must be willing to sacrifice; give up something; and that costs you something. Salvation is free, but it costs you something to walk with God. It’s extremely important to make that kind of sacrifice and make sure He gets the glory out of what you do every day. People will always talk and have different things to say. They are waiting for you to fail. But you’ve got to know for yourself who you are and who you are in Christ.
God Has A Plan for the Underdog: 9780999219805: Amazon.com: Books
FMM: You are celebrating your 40th Anniversary with the Documentary of “This Is It! The Miracle of BBQ.” Please share your proudest moment and your recipe for success.
Proudest moment: My proudest moment will be this documentary, because I really want God to be glorified and for Him to get all the glory He can get; for people to see that if it had not been for the Lord on my side, I wouldn’t be here today.
Recipe for success: Putting it all on the line…everything is out there but my family. Following God’s direction, hearing from Him and trying to follow Him as close as I can is so very key. You cannot be scared to be an entrepreneur. You can’t be out here without giving it your all. Hard work is a must because faith without works is dead. You must be willing to work hard, even when it seems you have nothing to work with. Even though it’s a different time today, I still believe hard work is the key to success. You must be willing to do more than the next person. It’s just like athletes: the ones who win are the ones who are willing to work the hardest. You must also be willing to burning the midnight oil. Another thing that’s important in business is understanding numbers to the point where numbers talk to you.
Details: Sunday, June 11, 2023 – 6:00 PM
Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
This is a free event, but tickets are required. Get them online at http://tiib.info/tmb or at any of our This Is It! stores.
FMM: What do you want your legacy to be?
I tried to please God, take care of my family, and serve people.
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About This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q
Established in 1983, This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q (more recently known as This Is It! Bar-B-Q & Seafood) specializes in authentic, southern, home-style cuisine and is nationally known for its famous award-winning barbeque rib tips. For 40 years, This Is It! has been recognized for exceptional hospitality and service paired with the best authentic freshly prepared barbeque and seafood. Headquartered in
Fayetteville, Georgia, This Is It! has nine corporate stores, one open franchise, and one franchise that is being built. These locations are throughout the Metro Atlanta area, offering dine-in, to-go, delivery, private and corporate catering, and three full scale event rental spaces. The company recently began operating as This Is It! Southern Kitchen & Bar-B-Q as a reflection of its expanded and more health-
conscious menu items. Learn more about This Is It! at http://www.thisisitbbq.com.