“I CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY THIS,”
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Charlie Robertson told the current owner of Three Little Pigs Bar-B-Q back in 1989.
Charlie was a bread man driving for the Colonial Baking Company at the time, and this was one of the stops on his route.
Three Little Pigs Bar-B-Q had been around since 1964. In the early days, it was a Loeb’s Barbecue, a local chain founded by the brother of the mayor of Memphis. Loeb’s sold out in 1981, and the restaurant had been through a series of owners and name changes by the time Charlie found it on his route.
“He was a retired banker with a military background. He had no idea of what he had got himself into. The place was doing poorly and he wanted out in the worst way.”
Charlie, however, knew exactly what he was getting into. Before he became a bread man, he had managed several fast food restaurants, including Dairy Queen, Whataburger and Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips.
“I saw potential and was confident that I could make it work, but I just didn’t have the money, but he told me not to worry. He could ‘fix it.’ After all, he was a retired banker.
“My wife, Juvenia, was very supportive, and my three sons were a great help, but we were really fortunate to have had Helen McClendon. She pretty much came with the building, sort of a fixture. She had been here almost since Loeb’s opened up. Owners had come and gone, but she had been the one constant. She could do it all. I don’t think that I could have pulled it off without her.” (Image 147)
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These days, age and health are catching up with Helen, but she still comes in and makes their signature beans and sauce.
Since Charlie took over, he has been able to realize that potential that he saw. “We’ve made some improvements to the building. It used to be so smoky in here. These used to be glass walls with no insulation. You would burn up in the summer and freeze in the winter.”
Three Little Pigs is a freestanding building in a shopping-center parking lot. It has really been embraced by the neighborhood, as evidenced by the display racks in the dining room. They are overflowing with pig figurines. (Image 148)
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“I don’t buy them. People keep bringing them to me from all over the world. Now when someone brings me a new one, I have to take one down. I have several boxes of them in storage. I can’t bring myself to throwing them out.” (Image 149)
Image 149: Three Little Pigs Bar-B-Q 5145 Quince Road • Memphis, TN 38117 • (901)685-7094
CHARLIE ROBERTSON’S THREE LITTLE PIGS SLAW DRESSING
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Core and chop cabbage. Finely chop onion. Mix all ingredients. Allow to sit 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator before enjoying.