Dale’s Southern Smoked BBQ opens in LaFayette
Dale Shropshire, a LaFayette native, has returned to bring his passion for smoked barbecue to his hometown and is open and ready to serve.
Dale’s Southern Smoked BBQ is located at 1391 North Main Street and includes dine-in, carry out, drive-thru service, and catering.
Shropshire, a 1995 graduate of LaFayette High School, spent six years in the Army National Guard after graduation and eventually moved to Sydney, Ohio, from 2008-16, where he eventually found his passion for barbecuing.
Asked what made him return to his hometown, Shropshire said, “I wanted to open up a barbecue business and I wanted it to be in my hometown.”
Dale’s Southern Smoked BBQ smokes its meats fresh every day and includes a fiveperson staff.
“There are no leftovers, there’s nothing that is going to be refrigerated and reheated,” Shropshire said of how his business plans to stand out from the rest.
Dale’s will have competitive prices like pulled pork and pulled chicken meals at $7.99 per dinner, including two sides, and Texas Toast.
Pulled pork and chicken sandwiches are marked at $4.99 each.
Rib meals come in at a reasonable $8.99 per plate.
Pulled pork by the pound and pulled chicken by the pound will be available at $18.99 per pound.
Ribs by the rack are priced at $20 each.
Dale’s plans a variety of specials throughout the week, including whole chickens and briskets, just to name a couple.
Side items include smoked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and French fries.
The business’s location has seen various restaurants come and go over the past couple of years, but Shropshire plans to make the location his home and eventually branch out throughout Walker County and Northwest Georgia.
“The right person managing the right business can give the customer what they want,” he said. “I don’t think it will be a problem with me being here a long time.”
BBQ success back in Ohio
Back in Sydney in 2014, Shropshire started his business with just $300 and a smoker under a 10x10 popup tent. He would smoke his barbecue every other weekend.
“It just grew into a passion and I started loving it,” he said.
Shropshire earned his money at that time in industrial electrical work for Wells Brothers.
As his passion grew and the success of his part-time business began to bring in more money, barbecuing became his main source of income.
After moving from the pop-up tent, Shropshire incorporated a concessions trailer and another smoker.
Shropshire would take his tasty barbecue to festivals and concerts and would watch his passion and business continue to grow.
Shropshire said he plans to use his truck to attend events in the area as well as maintain his local restaurant in LaFayette at the same time.
Dale’s Southern Smoked BBQ is open from 11 a.m. until the last person is served from Tuesdays through Saturday.
“In case you haven’t heard, this food is delicious. Come out and have lunch with us. We serve our food hot and fresh every day. Our meats are smoked low and slow, keeping the quantity of meat limited. So get here early before we sell out. And food that is left over is donated to the Family Crisis Center of Walker, Catoosa, Dade, Chattooga ,” Shropshire said.