After more than three decades, not much has changed at Daddy D’z

“I realized that I needed a cash-based business that would sustain my family,” she said. “I had three kids and one with special needs. My youngest has Down syndrome and I wanted someplace where he could always be. If I had a restaurant, he would love it. Down kids do very well in the service industry because they tend to try to make people happy.”

Credit: Bob Townsend

Credit: Bob Townsend

The roof of the building features a metal pig above the door, and a sign reads “I’m Dyin for Daddy D’z the BBQ Joint.” The pit that connects to the building is the same as when Newman first built it.

“We don’t have a rotisserie,” Coker-Jackson said. “We still cook food the old-fashioned way, over logs. We use hickory wood. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

She said she has “made a few little changes, but nothing major. It’s got this feel to it. I don’t want to change it too much. It’s been this way for a long time.”

But she has added “a few items, like turkey ribs.”

Another change is a concession to the times: more meatless options. “I took pork out of the sides, so people that don’t eat meat can still enjoy them,” Coker-Jackson said. “It’s little subtle changes like that.

“I don’t want it to change too much,” she said, “because it wouldn’t be Daddy D’z.”

The big sellers on the menu still are the pork ribs, brisket and the beloved cornbread.

“The D’z Famous Q wraps are barbecue pork in a deep-fried wanton wrapper,” Coker-Jackson said. “It’s really good finger food.”

She added that her oldest son is 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds. “He’s a big boy. I have to beg him to please stop eating all my inventory.”

Homemade desserts served at Daddy D’z come from several different vendors. Favorites include cheesecake, strawberry cake, piña colada cake, sweet potato pie, banana pudding and peach cobbler.

Currently, the restaurant is doing about half of its normal business, Coker-Jackson said, attributing that to ingredients being more expensive. “I’ve had to raise prices, but I’ve tried not to raise them too much like some places,” she said. “I know people are hurting financially, and our dollar is not going as far as it used to. The average customer doesn’t have 35 bucks to go out and eat.”

Fifteen dozen eggs used to be $23-$24, she said. “It’s 120 bucks now. Brisket used to cost me $2.60 to $2.80 a pound. Now, it’s $4.20 a pound. Chicken wings used to run 5 bucks a case. I’m lucky if I get a case for $20. We’ve seen a tremendous increase in Styrofoam plastic and foil that we use to pack up food to go.”

Still, many loyal customers make their way to the restaurant, Coker-Jackson said.

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

“We have customers that drive from Marietta and Suwannee, and some come all the way from Florida and St. Louis,” she said. “It’s a staple, and it’s kind of like a landmark, too. I want people to fall in love with us again. The restaurant scene in Atlanta has changed a lot. There’s a lot of bells and whistles, bright lights and bougie. We’re still down-home and get-your-fingers-dirty.”

Perhaps the most loyal Daddy D’z regulars are the city’s first responders, Coker-Jackson said. “They still come in because we take care of our police, fire and emergency medical personnel. We give them a discount and we’re always happy to see them.”

Another Daddy D’z tradition is live music, especially during the summer months.

“We do mostly jazz, and some R&B, outside in the little gravel area,” Coker-Jackson said. “I redid that with picnic tables. ... It’s mainly been the house band, These Nuts. I want to get back to where we’re doing blues and jazz every Friday and Saturday night.”

Daddy D’z the BBQ Joynt. 264 Memorial Drive SE, Atlanta. 404-222-0206, daddydz.com

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