A North Georgia favorite of more than three decades is set to close next weekend.
An announcement printed in the Ellijay Times-Courier announced that the restaurant will close at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26.
Facebook photo
Facebook photo
Darvin Poole, who owns Poole’s with his wife, Melanie, said he decided to close the restaurant to spend more time with his grandchildren in Alabama. This will mark the end of his second career: He retired as a math teacher only to purchase the restaurant in 2008 from his parents, “Colonel” Oscar and Edna, when they were ready to retire.
“We’ve enjoyed the work, and it’s been great meeting all the people we’ve met,” he said. “It does make us feel good that so many people are saying so many positive things. We’ll miss it.”
Poole’s Bar-B-Q has welcomed locals and visitors on their approach into East Ellijay since 1989, when Oscar and Edna opened the restaurant in a shack on the side of Ga. 515.
When Oscar discovered he’d be unable to use a billboard to advertise the eatery because of federal restrictions at the time, he got creative. He turned the mountainside behind the structure into Poole’s Pig Hall of Fame, featuring more than 300 plywood swine painted with the names of customers from around the country (Darvin Poole said several people have already contacted him to reclaim their pig.)
“It was absolutely a joke,” Poole told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 1992. “But how you gonna get attention? I found out you don’t have to be fancy.”
AJC
AJC
Over the years, Poole’s served its smoked pork, chopped beef, brisket and chicken, and sides like beans, fried okra and potato salad to conservative national and state politicians, including Newt Gingrich, Johnny Isakson, Saxby Chambliss and Nathan Deal.
Poole, himself a conservative activist, often greeted his political guests while dressed in a yellow suit with red trim and a red, white and blue Uncle Sam hat.
In 1997, Poole drove his “Pig Mobile” to Washington to supply the entire Georgia congressional delegation and their staffs with Brunswick stew, coleslaw, ribs and other dishes.
AJC
AJC
“I wanted to show Washington a small-business success story and, besides, they tell me they can’t get good barbecue up there,” he said at the time.
The restaurant’s menu has stayed largely the same over the years, with chopped pork being the top seller. Darvin Poole said he added green beans and mac and cheese after he took over, and also started serving sliced brisket at his father’s suggestion.
Edna Poole celebrated her 90th birthday in September. Darvin said her involvement in the restaurant has been minimal, but she still acts as a taste-tester on occasion. Oscar Poole died in 2020.
Darvin Poole said that he’s currently in talks with several people interested in buying or leasing the property, and that he’s open to the possibility of someone buying the restaurant to reopen it.
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