page_title: Sonny's BBQ
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Sonny's BBQ / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Sonny's BBQ, US90, Lake City, Columbia County, Florida
context_page_description: Sonny's BBQ is a barbecue restaurant chain founded by Floyd "Sonny" Tillman in Gainesville, Florida in 1968. Bob Yarmuth purchased the company in 1991 and continues as the company's owner and CEO today. Sonny's BBQ now has 113 restaurants across nine Southeastern states and is headquartered in Maitland, Florida. The restaurant specializes in Southern-style BBQ.
context_section_description: Sonny's Real Pit-Bar-B-Q was founded on April 17, 1968 by Floyd "Sonny" Tillman and his wife Lucille, starting with a single location on Waldo Road in Gainesville, Florida. The company began franchising nine years later in 1977 with a menu consisting of pork, beef, ribs, chicken, beans and other sides. In 1988, Sonny's BBQ had grown to 77 restaurants across six states and Tillman sold the company to outside investors. In 1991, Bob Yarmuth purchased the company.
  During the 2000s, Sonny's was the largest BBQ restaurant chain in the United States, with about 150 locations across nine states. In 2011, the company had 125 operating franchised restaurants. In 2012, the company moved its headquarters to Winter Park, Florida and in 2013, the company changed its name from Sonny's Real Pit-Bar-B-Q to Sonny's BBQ.
caption: A Sonny's BBQ in Lake City, Florida
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