Brother Jimmy's grew from a sort of Southern expatriate community, hungry for homestyle, regional cuisine and a place to watch local college teams like Duke and the UM Terps fight it out. By 1996, the idea had become so popular that the restaurant became a chain, first with an Upper East Side location, then across the park, and finally into Spanish Harlem, Midtown, and even Grand Central station.

The kitschy restaurants, whether the BBQ outposts or the Baitshack and Burger Shack, are consistently jammed, owing mostly to the herd mentality of homesick locals and tourists in search of a familiar atmosphere. Most importantly, the BBQ served is of a surprisingly high order, rich in authenticity, flavorful, and almost unfailingly good.