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Dixie's BBQ is a popular barbecue restaurant at 11522 Northup Way, Bellevue, Washington, 98004. It gained notoriety for its hot sauce, "The Man," and bumper stickers throughout the area which read, "Have you met The Man?" It was opened in 1994 by Dixie and Gene Porter, who had lived in the Seattle, Washington area for 30 years, working as a nurse and a mechanic, respectively. (The sign outside still reads "Porter's Automotive.")
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Location and features
The restaurant is located in a converted auto-repair garage; seating is at picnic tables around the repair bays and outside. Food is served in Styrofoam containers with plastic utensils. The walls are covered with maps of Washington State, the US, and the world, to which are affixed thousands of pins, each representing where a customer is from. The maps soon became completely filled with pins, and got 'retired' to the upper part of the wall. Porter himself would usually walk among the lunch crowd with the saucepan shown in the above photo, asking people his trademark question, "Have you met The Man?."
Notorious for its heat, "The Man" was Porter's own hot sauce recipe, which seemed to be made of nothing but the ribs and seeds of various types of peppers. Patrons unfamiliar with "The Man" would often challenge Porter's sauce and regret it, as he would then spoon a dollop onto whatever they were eating, and even if they were beaten by the sauce (which happened often), Porter would insist that they not waste it. In true Southern fashion, he would shame them into finishing every bite, whether or not they felt they were up to the task.
Gene Porter's death
Gene Porter died of cancer on February 28, 2010. His wife Dixie and daughter LJ continued to operate Dixie's until LJ died on February 2, 2011. Dixie carries on the business in the original location. Gene and Dixie also had a son, Alton Porter, who owned the catering business Porter's Place. On June 28, 2012, Alton Porter died of a heart attack. Porter's Place is no longer open.