Type Restaurant Founded 1989 | Number of locations 22 | |
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Industry Caterer, Restaurant, Full service and fast casual dining - and Take-Out Genre Memphis-style Barbecue, Ribs, Brisket, Wings, Smoked Chicken and Southern Seafood Successor John Walker, Randy McCann Area served WASHINGTON DC metro area and suburbs: Fairfax, VA; Herndon, VA; Kingstowne, VA; Manassas, VA; Leesburg, VA; Warrenton, VA; Annapolis, MD; Deerwood & Gaithersburg, MD; Laurel, MD TEXAS: Dallas; Plano; Irving; Flower Mound; North Richland Hills; Ft Worth NORTH CAROLINA: Cary; Raleigh; Winston-Salem Other Locations: Joplin, Missouri Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Williamsburg, VA Headquarters North Carolina, United States Founders Lee Atwater, Don Sundquist, Bob Friedman, Joel Wood, Wendell Moore Profiles | ||
Red Hot & Blue is a Memphis style barbecue restaurant franchise founded by political strategist Lee Atwater and former House of Representatives member Don Sundquist of Memphis, Tennessee, among others.
History
Red Hot and Blue was founded in 1989 by Atwater, Sundquist, Bob Friedman, Joel Wood, and Wendell Moore, with its first location in Arlington, VA, near Washington, DC. Friedman described the concept of the restaurant as "pigs, pork, and blues" as reflected in the company's logo. The name is taken from the title of DJ Dewey Phillips' radio show which aired on WHBQ-AM in Memphis in the 1950s.
The restaurant was voted Best Barbecue by Leading Consumer Magazine in 2006.
In 1997, the owners of Red Hot and Blue sued Let's Do Barbecue, the parent company of Fat Jack's restaurant of Berlin, New Jersey, alleging unfair trade practices. According to court documents, Let's Do Barbecue's president and CEO Glenn Gross "gained much of his insight into the barbecue business" while an employee of the Cherry Hill, New Jersey Red Hot and Blue. These accusations were found to be untrue during a lengthy court battle with the company.
Red Hot and Blue was served at Washington Nationals games from 2006 through 2008 [2] and is still served at George Mason University basketball games at the Patriot Center.