CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — No matter what your order, most customers come to Excell Bar-B-Q for the same thing.
"You can't get no other barbecue like this barbecue," said customer Walter Ramey.
The food is so popular, they ran out of meat on Tuesday.
"We had probably five or six pounds left from last night and it went,” said employee Cathy Blakely.
It's a problem Blakely was thankful to have - that's because back in May the site of smoke meant something very different.
“It was just devastating," she said. "It was really devastating."
Excell's smokehouse was destroyed in a fire. The business found a temporary fix when a local church lent its smoker. Eventually, the owner put a pause on the barbecue while a new smokehouse was built.
"We got tired of saying ‘maybe next week, maybe next week’ you know," Blakely said.
Until finally, 'next week' became this week.
“As soon as they started seeing that smoke, I knew we were going to be covered up," said Blakely. "The owner has just been overwhelmed, he just can't believe it."
The barbecue is back and business is booming.
“Well they have overwhelmed us and we ran out," said Blakely.
After three long months, Blakely credits her customers for helping the business make it through.
"They've just been so supportive," she said. "They just will never know how much this meant to us, you know so it's a good feeling."
Excell is officially taking orders for Labor Day weekend.
