History

From humble beginnings . . .

Starting in October 1994 in what was little more than a take-out stand, owners Barbara and Jerry Smith set out to develop a Bar-B-Que restaurant and bakery business serving both local patrons and the traveling public. Counting mainly on word-of-mouth advertising, their reputation for great Hickory Smoked BBQ and Homemade Baked Goods soon spread and the business grew into one of the most popular places in the area to dine, winning awards for Best BBQ and Brunswick Stew!

Bigger and better than ever . . .

In 2009 we enter our 15th year in business.  In addition to this welcome achievement we are pleased to announce that Mickey Piggs Bar-B-Que has been voted the Northeast Georgian newspapers' 2009 readers choice award in three categories.  Best BBQ, best ribs, and best desserts!  This recognition is most appreciated and satisfying to us as well as all of our employees in their efforts to maintain the highest quality standards in serving our customers!

We thank our capable friendly employees who work so hard to take care of our customers and ensure a truly satisfying dining experience. Come visit us in our new 3000 sq .ft. building with seating for 100 and a new pick up window for call-in orders. Mickey Piggs continues to grow in order to better serve you, our valued customer!

We often get asked how the name Mickey Piggs came about. We were both born and raised in Central New York State (Utica) and subsequently relocated to Ft. Lauderdale in 1975 after I was promoted to a management position with the company I had been employed with since 1970.

In 1989 the company was sold and for the next several years due to management and technology changes the company's business began to decline. We made a decision to make a career change before things got worse. Not wanting to to stay in Florida or move back to Upstate New York because of the extreme weather conditions, we sought an area that had four distinct seasons, but not extreme cold or heat. A search through the Southeast brought us to the Helen area in NE Georgia where we settled. In 1994 by an odd coincidence we discovered a small BBQ business that was closed and for sale. Since it was located within twenty minutes from our home and the owner said he would provide training we decided to buy the business and become BBQ entrepreneurs.

In trying to come up with a name for our new business, my wife mentioned a comparison to Disney World and their having Mickey Mouse to which I jokingly replied. "well, we will have a Mickey Pig!" After giving it some thought we decided to name our business Mickey Piggs Bar-B-Que because like Disney, we wanted to provide a friendly family type facility offering quality. quantity and friendly service at a fair price!  As parents and grandparents we wanted to provide an atmosphere the whole family can enjoy! Since our start we have been joined by our sons, daughter-in-Laws ,grandchildren and a great staff of dedicated employees who take pride in taking care of every customer who comes through the door!

Today, our son Michael serves the business as General manager and is responsible for the day to day operation of Mickey Piggs. His wife Lucille is chief Baker and runs the Bakery Business. My wife Barbara and I are still involved in taking an active interest seeing Mickey Piggs continue to grow!

We hope you agree with our efforts, as your satisfaction is our primary objective. Please tell us how we are doing and how we may continue to be your choice for great tasting BBQ, Desserts & more!

We thank you for visiting our website and look forward to serving you soon!

Thank You
The Smith Families