Asheville’s Oldest Surviving Restaurant

History Feature: Asheville’s Enduring Little Pigs Bar-B-Q

By John Turk

When I lead city walking tours, guests frequently ask about Asheville’s amazing culinary scene: Where did it come from? Why are there so many great places to eat? Why is there so much variety? And the inevitable, Where should we eat lunch?

A number of clients, after learning about Asheville’s up-and-down economic fortunes, ask an additional question: “What is the city’s oldest restaurant?” The technical answer just might be James McConnell Smith’s Buck Hotel. It catered to the men who were herding livestock along the drover’s road, which led right through Asheville during the early 1800s.

Of course what they are really asking is, “What is the oldest continuously operating restaurant that is still functioning today?” The answer is Little Pigs Bar-B-Q at 384 McDowell Street, right across from Asheville High School.

In 1962, Bill Newman and Ben Burch of Memphis, Tennessee, created Little Pigs Barbecue of America. Within several years, they had sold 200 franchises across the country. However, by 1967 the enterprise went bankrupt. As it turned out, barbecue didn’t fit the “fast food” business model. Burgers, fries, and milkshakes were the staples of the day. Only a handful of restaurants that began as a Little Pigs Barbecue of America franchise are still open today.

One is in Asheville, established by Joe and Peggy Swicegood in 1963. I recently sat down with Joe at Little Pigs Bar-B-Q, indicating that I would like to set up a time to talk when it was a little less noisy.

“I can’t imagine when that would be,” says Joe. “It’s always like this. You know the building was originally a Pure Oil gas station. You can’t imagine the changes we had to make to turn it into a restaurant. The restrooms were outside! And there was a grease pit where we wanted to place the service counter.”

He says his philosophy regarding the restaurant has changed very little over the last 50 years. “You have to have good food, a clean place, good help, and you have to work hard.” An early menu displayed in the back dining room of the restaurant attests to the fact that not much has changed.

“You know,” Joe adds, “we did make one change. We took burgers off the menu about four years ago. People came in and they wanted them fast— you know, like a fast food chain. I thought they should be made one at a time. We couldn’t make them fast enough so we stopped making them. To my way of thinking, you have to do things right.”

One of the most striking things about the restaurant is the feeling of family. Although Joe and Peggy’s three children are not in the business themselves, you get the feeling that the crew is made up of their children and grandchildren.

Little Pigs Bar-B-Q is now 53 years old. And as anyone who has ever eaten a meal there—and stood in lines that often stretch out into the parking lot—will tell you, it doesn’t show signs of slowing down any time soon.

John Turk, Professor Emeritus, Youngstown State University, is the vice president of the Western North Carolina Historical Association and leads city walking and bus tours with history@hand (history-at-hand.com). He can be reached at jrturk@ysu.edu.