History
Kennesaw, Georgia · Since 2008
A small house on Cherokee Street, a name older than the town’s own, and nearly two decades of smoke. This is how Big Shanty Smokehouse came to be, and where it stands today.
See the Menu →Why “Big Shanty”
Before it was Kennesaw, this railroad town was called Big Shanty. The name changed in 1887, but it never really left — there is still a Big Shanty Road, a Big Shanty Park and a Big Shanty Festival. The smokehouse on Cherokee Street carries it too.
How It Started
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December 2007
The house on Cherokee Street
Chic and Sissy Dillard, a husband-and-wife team, bought a small roadside “shanty” on Cherokee Street in downtown Kennesaw and set about turning it into a neighborhood barbecue spot.
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February 22, 2008
Doors open
Forty-five days later, Big Shanty Smokehouse opened. From the start, the house barbecue sauce and dry rub were made by hand in the Shanty kitchen and served only at the Shanty.
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2009
“Best BBQ in Atlanta”
Eleven months after opening, Big Shanty Smokehouse was voted Best BBQ in Atlanta by Urbanspoon, and won praise from Atlanta Journal-Constitution food critic Jon Watson.
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2008 – 2024
The Dillard years
For more than fifteen years the Dillards ran a true family establishment: honest barbecue, an unpretentious room and a loyal following. Years of strong guest reviews earned the restaurant Tripadvisor’s Certificate of Excellence along the way, and neighbors voted it a Nextdoor Fave in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023.
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2024
A new pitmaster
Paul Holden and his wife, Lori Cardamone, took over the restaurant — another husband-and-wife team, keeping Big Shanty family-owned and local. With Paul as owner and pitmaster, it became Big Shanty Smokehouse by Willingham’s®. The house, the name and the Shanty classics stayed. Competition technique and premium meats came with Paul. He also gave the house sauce and rub their names — Top Rail and Depot Dust — and took them to market beyond the Shanty kitchen alongside the broader Willingham’s® W’ham® line.
The same year, Atlanta News First gave Big Shanty Smokehouse its Golden Spatula Award for a perfect health inspection score, and Nextdoor neighbors have voted it a Fave every year since: 2024, 2025 and 2026.
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October 2025
In the paper
The Marietta Daily Journal told the story of the hand-off: “A step above: World champion pitmaster takes the reins at Big Shanty Smokehouse” (Jack Lindner, October 10, 2025).
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Ongoing
Eighteen perfect health inspections in a row
And counting.
Big Shanty Today
Awards & Recognition
Best of the Best Barbecue Restaurants in America (Barbecue News Magazine) and Best of Cobb in 2025 and 2026, Best BBQ in Georgia, and #1 in “The 7 Best Ribs in the South.”
See every award →
Meet the Pitmaster
Our style is shaped by our pitmaster’s deep Memphis roots with Willingham’s® and our own local Georgia heritage.
Meet Paul Holden →Come See the House
Big Shanty Smokehouse is at 3393 Cherokee St NW, Kennesaw, GA 30144. Order at the counter and stay a while.