A small-town barbecue joint in Alabama has become known for offering its community so much more than just a really, really good place to grab a meal.

While Buddy’s BBQ in Talladega has been open for more than 50 years, owner Shane Denney bought the beloved barbecue joint in December 2023 after moving back to Talladega, the hometown of his wife, Raechel, nine years ago. Since then, the restaurant has only grown in popularity as customers from near and far flock to it for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Denney said he first became interested in the restaurant industry after he got a job as a teen at an omelet shop in Gadsden, and while he may have traded in cracking eggs for smoking meats since then, his dedication to offering good food and creating a friendly atmosphere to serve it in has never wavered.

“I’m just extremely passionate about barbecue,” said Denney. “I’m obsessed with it. The food at Buddy’s is just as southern as you could possibly imagine. As for the atmosphere, it’s like we’re a big family. I mean, everybody comes in here and knows everybody, and we just all love each other. It’s a hodgepodge of the community.”

Buddy’s BBQ has a little something for everyone as its regular menu offers fare you’d expect to find at any classic barbecue joint, like pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked chicken and more. Its weekday lunch menu, which changes daily, serves up a long list of Southern dishes, like hamburger steak, catfish strips and plenty of homemade sides, for those looking to take more of a meat-and-thee route for their meal.

The restaurant recently won AL.com’s poll for which unsung barbecue joint was the best in the state after being nominated early and often by its customers, and once you eat there, it’s easy to see why. Denney said they were excited to win and have their barbecue be recognized as it’s been a labor of love over the years that everyone at the restaurant takes pride in.

“All barbecue is different,” said Denney. “Barbecue’s like a fingerprint, and I don’t think any two places are the same. I think what makes ours is just the absolute love we put into it. We sell as many ribs as anything. When I first bought the place, we weren’t selling ribs and we worked really, really hard on our ribs. We sell just an absolute ton of ribs now. We just genuinely care about our barbecue.”

Denney said their hushpuppies, made-from-scratch daily using his personal recipe, are also an unexpected star of the restaurant’s menu, prompting him to share a video about how to make them on Facebook that has since garnered more than 540, 000 views and brought in new customers from all over the South.

“We sell just an abnormally large amount of hushpuppies,” said Denney. “You know it’s funny, I put that post on Facebook a few months ago, and that’s really where we started getting all of the what we call ‘The Roadtrippers Club’. We have people drive here from all over the Southeast, and they put their pin on the map at the doorway and they sign the guest book, but most every one of them comes because of that hushpuppies video.”

That said, good food and hushpuppies recipes aren’t the only thing Buddy’s BBQ is offering the small town of Talladega and its surrounding communities. In recent years, the restaurant has gained recognition for its community involvement.

In 2024, the restaurant donated all of the sales from a Friday shift to the family of Charlee Tayt Hubbard, an 11-year-old from Talladega who died by suicide. Most recently, the restaurant sold 200 slabs of ribs for $25 each on July 4 — all in under 20 minutes — and gave the money raised to five families who lost their homes in the Autumn Trace Apartments in Sylacauga.

The restaurant also serves a free dinner to those in need on Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter every year, in addition to opening its doors to serve as a warming station when extreme winter weather hits.

Ultimately, Denney said it’s the willingness of the customers, as well as the staff at Buddy’s BBQ, to help where they can, whether it’s giving money or their time, that have made so many of these fundraisers a success.

“I think that the community supports our business so it’s important for our business to support the community,” said Denney. “And the community really supports us. They help us with every one of these fundraisers we do. They go out of their way to help.”

So while Buddy’s BBQ might be considered a hidden gem to many who aren’t familiar with the Talladega area, given that there’s often a line out the door, it’s a safe bet that it might not be hidden for long. Regardless of how busy they get, though, Denney said he just wants to feed their customers, whether they’re new or old or from close-by or far away, a meal they’ll remember.

“I just hope we’re making them happy, you know, and so far, I think we are,“ said Denney. ”There’s nothing that gives you more pleasure than feeding people, and that is just one of those things. It’s just the greatest blessing in the world.”

Buddy’s BBQ is located at 103 Haynes Street in Talladega. It’s open from 5 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, visit their Facebook page.