2020 was not an easy year for a lot of local businesses, especially restaurants that depend on having customers within their walls.
Though this can be partially mitigated by using a well-run carryout business, a restaurant offering dine-in service was hobbled by social-distancing requirements requiring it to operate at reduced capacity, and therefore reduced profits.
However, there are restaurants that have survived these âInteresting Times,â and continue to thrive in spite of them. One such is north Johnson Cityâs Red Pig Bar-B-Q.
First glance
Currently fronting north Johnson Cityâs Ferguson Road, the Red Pig Bar-B-Q is a 50-plus yearsâ veteran in the restaurant business. In the â70s, I myself worked at the Red Pigâs old West Walnut Street location under founder and owner Tom Carr, first as a dishwasher, then as a line cook preparing the side orders for Red Pigâs barbecue-hungry customers. From memory, I can still make Red Pigâs signa