We went by today and it looks an awful lot like a business that is closing down. This doesn't make sense as the last time I spoke with Mr. Sledge he was talking about expanding one day and they were always busy and getting more and more business it seemed. They definitely were the best BBQ I had tasted in the area but there's only a sign on the door indicating they are closed with no additional comment as to why.
Does anyone else know anything as to what's going on?
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Never heard of it. Where are they located? 
They are located just off Chisolm Road on Golden Pond Road. It's just before you get to the storage buildings and is just North of Jacksonburg rd and just South of the Dollar General store on Chisolm. The building actually sets a bit off the road and they don't really have that good of signage on the main road so you almost have to be looking for them but they have such a good following that usually word of mouth is how most find out about them.
Check back tomorrow. Maybe they'll be open. Pretty independent people. And they're right that the food is good. His Q is a little different from most of the other barbeque restaurants around.
Mr. Sledge's business would be much better if they did just a little advertising, put some sodium vapor lights on the parking lot and invested in a good sign out on Chisolm Road--75 yards away.
Visibility is very important in the restaurant world. If you cannot see their restaurant at night, you'll be eating at another place.
Well sadly I have an update to my own post/thread. My daughter's husband's family knows the Sledges very well and it looks as if this closure will be a permanent one. The family has decided that they are totally overwhelmed and therefore are closing as they don't want all that there is that will go with staying open and they are becoming overwhelmed at this point so they are closing for good it seems but there may be hope that they will change their mind.
While they had visions of enlarging the building and growing their business they began to grow too fast for what they could handle. They were getting too popular just by word of mouth. Some of the difficulties they were having also are that which all small businesses have to face but when you are a mom and pop operation overseeing your own place some of those problems really hit home and get depressing and overwhelming. Add to that the great addition of burdensome regulations that business owners are going to have to bear with the new Healthcare law and it began to spiral away from them or at least that's what my daughter was led to believe.
Who really knows what reason they decided to close the doors and hopefully they will regroup and re-open but at this point in time it doesn't look to promising. That's too bad because they had some great BBQ and home made Chili but I guess when you get to the point that you either have to expand and grow larger or be overwhelmed with what you got now and the amount of business you are dealing with you have to make hard decisions for your own family and what you really want to do with what life you have left. Maybe they just want a little time to make that decision whether they want to be in the food business or not? I think the very same thing happened with the families that had and opened the 2nd Street Rib Shack a while back. They were from Russellville and used to just cook on the back of their decks and through prompting decided to open a business. They had such a good product that they grew fast and demand was great and it overwhelmed them as well so they sold out. I don't know for sure as I'm guessing at this point but they did have good bbq just as the Rib Shack has some of the best ribs I've had. They will be missed if they don't reopen.
Maybe they'll find someone that's willing to rent the facility and reopen it as a barbeque restaurant.
I'm really wanting a good barbeque restaurant in this area, but it's a tough nut to crack. There are people out there that can barbeque meat, but very few that know how to run a business. They're two different talents.
I come out of the Memphis School of Barbeque, and even many of the great restaurants over there have been unsuccessful.
If you want to be successful enough in barbeque to make a living, it requires a big catering business--like a barbeque version of Swamp John's.
Good luck to the Sledges!
We have seen our share of good BBQ type restaurants come and go. Like "Bad Bobs" over in Muscle Shoals that was at the old Long John Silver's restaurant bldg. Then 2nd Street Rib Shack, and on a larger scale Famous Dave's, now Sledges. There may be others but I lose count but out of the ones listed I enjoyed them all. Who knows if we'll get a really great BBQ restaurant in Florence, Muscle Shoals area but then I also enjoy Thomas BBQ in Madison or Big Bob Gibsons in Decatur.
SLEDGE's BBQ Lives AGAIN!
I saw Miles Sledge truck outside the old BBQ Restaurant which was closed with little notice. It was speculated that it (the restaurant) had just become too much for the family and therefore they chose to close it down. That was pretty much confirmed but Mr. Sledge who also said that he had heard from so many people that hated to hear that his restaurant had closed that he has decided, what with the upcoming College Football season, to take special orders for pickup and carry out only.
The Restaurant will no longer be open for eat in but Mr. Sledge is going to be providing a very limited restricted menu and says that people can call his cell phone Wednesdays and/or Thursdays to put in their order then pick the order up on Friday after 4PM and before 7PM.
Here is what will be offering for special order according to what was now on his menu/order board
Whole Boston Butts $30.00
Rack of Ribs $19.00
Whole Chickens $10.00
Whole Brisket $58.00
Smoked Bologna $6.00
Brunswick Stew 1 gallon ($ undetermined at this time)
Mr. Sledge said that the price included tax and sauce and no orders will be taken until around August 28/29 for August 30th and throughout the Fall after that. That's all I gleaned from talking with Mr. Sledge. As for the number I suppose that will be listed on the restaurant door later on as the time approaches when he will began to take orders.
If anyone is interested you can dialog with me and I'll pass it to you that way but will not post it here as it seems too much like advertising and I don't want to do that. I know that there will be many that will be glad that they once again can obtain some of Sledge's BBQ even if it's take out/carry out only. He indicated, to me, that he is going to be more like "Smokin on the Boulevard" which is open only at the end of the week for carry out and special orders only.
