Local restaurants part of state barbecue book
Published 11:21 pm Saturday, November 15, 2014
Hancock’s Bar-B-Que is among two Selma restaurants included in a new book by the Alabama Tourism Department called “Alabama Barbecue.”
Barbecue is considered to be its own food group in Alabama.
That’s why the Alabama Tourism Department and the Alabama Media Group teamed up to create a 128-page hardcover book titled “Alabama Barbecue.”
Featured in the book are two barbecue restaurants that call Selma home. Hancock’s Bar-B-Que and Lannie’s Bar-B-Q were two restaurants chosen to be highlighted.
Both owners are excited for the acknowledgement.
“I’m glad to be in it,” said Mike Hancock, owner of Hancock’s. “I think that any time we can get in a publication like that it’s nice.”
Hancock said he is glad to have his restaurant be considered a “must-try” dining location in Alabama.
“We’ve been here a long time. We do a quality product. We have a great sauce and a good atmosphere,” Hancock said. “Over the years, we just established ourselves as a landmark. We have people that come by every day. We have people that come by once a year and every five years. They just remember we’re here.”
Hancock said he believes it’s a mixture of things that keep people coming back for more.
“Just the service and a quality product is what’s kept us here and keeps people coming back,” Hancock said.
Deborah Hancock, Mike Hancock’s wife, said it’s their consistency that has kept them around since 1978.
“We stick to what we always do. We’re sticking to what Mike’s father did also like the hours and things haven’t ever changed,” Deborah Hancock said. “We will have customers that say, ‘My mom brought me in here,’ or ‘I’ve been coming in here forever.’”
Lannie’s Bar-B-Q is also included in the tourism book.
Across town at Lannie’s, owner Lula Hatcher said she is also happy to be featured in the book.
“I am excited about it. People will be looking up this place on the Internet,” Hatcher said. “I have a lot of new customers who have come from looking in books or wherever they find it.”
Hatcher said people have told her that they heard about the book, looked her up, and went to try the famous barbecue.
“It’s the sauce,” Hatcher said when asked what made her barbecue so famous.
“It’s not just the meat, it’s the sauce that you put on the meat that makes it,” she said.
The book features more than 75 barbecue restaurants in more than 52 cities across Alabama.
“Alabama Barbecue” retails for $20, and can be purchased at Alabama Books-A-Million stores, online at www.alonlinestore.com and Amazon.com.
