The Southern BBQ Chain You Don't See As Much Anymore

If you live in the South, you're probably familiar with Sonny's BBQ. The chain is known for selling "authentic, Southern-style BBQ" (as detailed on its own webpage), and can be found in eight different Southern states (the farthest North the chain goes is Kentucky). However, while there are still plenty of Sonny's locations, the chain has seemingly been on the decline in recent years, both in terms of locations and quality.

Sonny's BBQ has been around since 1968, and at one point, in the 2000s, there were over 150 locations. However, by 2023, this figure had decreased by about 50, and in 2025, the number is much closer to 90. This means that many people have seen their local Sonny's location closing, and the chain is much less accessible than it used to be. This is a shame, considering that in 2017, Daily Meal readers ranked Sonny's BBQ as the best barbecue chain in America. Daily Meal also once cited it as a regional chain that should become national, but with locations disappearing, this seems unlikely. Why is Sonny's BBQ slowly disappearing? While the chain seemingly hasn't commented on the closures, there are a few possible reasons.

Many people might be quick to blame the closure of several Sonny's BBQ locations on the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw tons of restaurants close when customers couldn't get out and buy. However, considering how many Sonny's locations have closed just between 2023 and 2025, it seems there's a bigger issue at play. Others might point to Sonny's quality control as the culprit. Internet comments often bemoan the quality of Sonny's, though it does seem to vary from location to location. However, barbecue enthusiasts seem to agree that at all but the best Sonny's locations, their offerings can't compete with "real" barbecue made on the grill yourself — even with store-bought sauce, home barbecue almost always wins out.

Another possible reason is changing consumer tastes. While some Sonny's BBQ locations have drive-thrus, the nature of the food means it's much more suited to sitting in the restaurant and eating, a model that's been steadily losing popularity in the last few years. Customers are looking more and more toward cheap and convenient food rather than sit-down experiences, which could spell doom for a chain like Sonny's that charges around $20 for many of its meals and doesn't have drive-thrus at every location.

Whatever the case, it's clear that Sonny's isn't what it used to be. Unless the chain adapts to the new consumer landscape of convenience and cost as the top priorities, it seems unlikely that it will be hitting peak location numbers again anytime soon.