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Went into Alexandria to a barbecue and stayed all night.

That's dated May 27, 1769, and it comes from the Journal of George Washington, commonly

referred to in the US as the father of our country.

American barbecue dates to the early colonial days of the mid-17th century and came about

after Spanish explorers transported pigs to the new world.

While barbecue culture grew and continues to thrive primarily in the American South,

it most certainly has spread nationwide by some estimates 75% of Americans consume

barbecue on our Independence Day.

It was this national identity that two California restaurant industry workers,

UCLA Business School graduate Eric Anders and Israeli expat Ofer Shemtov, aimed to capitalize

on when they launched their own restaurant concept in 1992.

Like industrious hermit crabs, Anders and Shemtov found a failed barbecue restaurant

in the Southern California community of Moore Park and converted it into their pilot

location.

As it became a hit, they repeated the process, absorbing a second failed restaurant

shell and nearby Agora Hills and converting it into a thriving outlet.

25 years later, the two founders now own the region's go-to chain for smoked sweet

meats with 16 locations across the Southland.

It's been commended for having one of the top 10 kids menus in America by Restaurant

Hospitality magazine and lauded as barbecue king by LA Weekly.

Locals may love it, but what about everyone else?

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