Alabama: Tuscaloosa BBQ Meets Tradition with Betsy McAtee, CEO of Dreamland BBQ
This week on the Titans of Food Service podcast, Nick Portillo speaks with Betsy McAtee, CEO of Dreamland Barbecue. Betsy shares the legendary history and cultural significance of barbecue in Alabama. The conversation highlights Dreamland's unique approach to barbecue, which includes cooking over an open pit and using a signature vinegar-based sauce, setting it apart from other regional styles. Betsy and Nick explore the deep connection between food and community, especially on game days when residents celebrate Alabama football with barbecue as a central element.
TIMESTAMPS
(00:02) Introduction to Titans of Food Service
(00:29) Highlighting Alabama's Food Scene
(00:46) Interview with Betsy McAtee
(01:08) The Legendary Story of Dreamland Barbecue
(04:49) Barbecue Culture in Alabama
(13:37) The Unique Flavors of Alabama Barbecue
(18:20) Betsy McAtee's Journey with Dreamland
(21:58) Future Plans for Dreamland Barbecue
RESOURCES
CONTACT
Transcript
There are a million ways to make money in the food service industry.
Nick Portillo:You just have to find one.
Nick Portillo:On the Titans of Foodservice podcast.
Nick Portillo:I interview real life movers and shakers in the food game who cut through all the noise to get to the top.
Nick Portillo:My name is Nick Portillo and welcome to the Titans of Food Service podcast.
Nick Portillo:Let's jump right into it.
Nick Portillo:Welcome back to season three of Titans of Food Service.
Nick Portillo:I'm your host, Nick Portillo and I'm continuing my across America in 50 weeks tour where I travel to every state and sit down with a titan of food service who's making an impact in their state.
Nick Portillo:And this week I'm going to be highlighting the great state of Alabama.
Nick Portillo:And to do so, I'm welcoming Betsy McAtee.
Nick Portillo:She's the CEO of Dreamland Barbecue.
Nick Portillo:So dreamland story, it's truly nothing short of legendary.
Nick Portillo:You're going to hear it in our conversation.
Nick Portillo:We're going to talk about everything Dreamland and barbecue in Alabama and what makes barbecue special in that, in that state and in that region.
Nick Portillo:Dreamland.
Nick Portillo: It all began in: Nick Portillo:What started with burgers and postage stamps quickly became known for its iconic hickory fired ribs, white bread and signature vinegar based barbecue sauce.
Nick Portillo:Now, more than 60 years later, since first opening, Dreamland Barbecue has grown to 10 locations plus a booming e commerce business, while continuing to carry Big Daddy's legacy forward.
Nick Portillo:In today's episode, Betsy and I dive into the history of Dreamland Barbecue.
Nick Portillo:How they're maintaining their timeless techniques, the importance of barbecue in Alabama's culture.
Nick Portillo:And we're also going to explore the intersection of football and food in Alabama, where both they serve as pillars of their community.
Nick Portillo:So stay tuned for a rich discussion about tradition, about growth and the future of one of Alabama's most beloved barbecue institutions.
Nick Portillo:Now, when I'm doing these across America in 50 weeks tour where I'm giving a little background on the state as well.
Nick Portillo:So before I jump into the conversation with Bessie, I want to give a little background and we're going to talk a lot in the episode too, about Alabama, especially around barbecue, but want to give a little bit more background.
Nick Portillo:Alabama, it's known for its Southern cuisine, its food scene.
Nick Portillo:It has a wide variety of restaurants, from beloved barbecue joints such as Dreamland to fine dining establishments as well.
Nick Portillo:The state is famous for its smoked meats, its catfish, and of course, it's its love for college football.
Nick Portillo:Tailgates.
Nick Portillo:And, you know, I've been to some Southern tailgates before, but I know Alabama is known for featuring plates piled high with local favorites.
Nick Portillo:You know, you have your whole local community there, your family, your friends.
Nick Portillo:It's a really cool environment.
Nick Portillo:So without further ado, I want to go ahead and welcome Betsy to the show.
Nick Portillo:All right, Betsy, welcome to the Titans of Food Service podcast.
Nick Portillo:I appreciate you taking time to come on and visit with me.
Betsy McAtee:Awesome.
Betsy McAtee:Thank you, Nick, for having me.
Betsy McAtee:This is such an honor.
Nick Portillo:Yeah, of course, of course.
Nick Portillo:So I have to start off with, you know, it was a big week of college football.
Nick Portillo:I don't know if you're a college football fan.
Betsy McAtee:Oh, yeah.
Nick Portillo:But I know that the Georgia, Alabama game, Alabama, you know, was up by a lot at halftime.
Nick Portillo:And then Georgia, out of nowhere in the second half, made it a very.
Nick Portillo:I think they ended up taking the lead at one point.
Betsy McAtee:Yes.
Nick Portillo:Alabama eventually won it in the end, which is just.
Nick Portillo:That was one of the best games that I've seen, definitely, this football season, but maybe in a while as well.
Betsy McAtee:Yes, it was a.
Betsy McAtee:It was a great game.
Betsy McAtee:It's always a great atmosphere for us.
Betsy McAtee:We are.
Betsy McAtee:We are tied very heavily to sports and Alabama football in particular.
Betsy McAtee:And just to see the excitement with people coming into the restaurant, they're.
Betsy McAtee:Sometimes it's their first time in the restaurant, sometimes it's part of their game day experience.
Betsy McAtee:But just seeing the excitement, and not only from Alabama fans, but Georgia fans, too, we saw that in our restaurants in the Atlanta area, where you've got Georgia and Alabama fans sitting across from each other, sometimes at a mixed table, as we say.
Betsy McAtee:And just to be able to experience the game day experience within a Dreamland barbecue makes it so much fun.
Nick Portillo:Is there a dreamland barbecue there in Tuscaloosa?
Betsy McAtee:There's actually two.
Betsy McAtee:There's one in Tuscaloosa.
Betsy McAtee:The original is in Tuscaloosa.
Betsy McAtee:And then there's one across the river from downtown in an area called Northport.
Betsy McAtee:And both of those restaurants see a tremendous surge in business on game day.
Betsy McAtee:And then we do a lot of tailgate caterings, and we do caterings there near the stadium where people tailgate called the quad.
Nick Portillo:Oh, have you ever had Coach saban there or Ms.
Nick Portillo:Terry come into one of your.
Nick Portillo:Into one of those locations?
Betsy McAtee:Well, they've never come into the restaurant that.
Betsy McAtee:That we know of, unless they were disguised.
Betsy McAtee:But we have done catering events at their home and at their office.
Betsy McAtee:And word on the street is they like our.
Betsy McAtee:They like our food.
Nick Portillo:I Love it.
Nick Portillo:I love it.
Nick Portillo:I, I've never been to an Alabama game.
Nick Portillo:I've been to Ole Miss.
Nick Portillo:I've been to three Ole Miss games.
Nick Portillo:I went three years in a row, and then last year, some of my buddies from school and I went to Baton Rouge for an LSU game.
Nick Portillo:So I've gotten experience, a little bit of some SEC football, you know, being born and raised here in Orange, Southern California.
Nick Portillo:Orange.
Nick Portillo:I grew up a Trojans fan, usc.
Nick Portillo:But the experience.
Nick Portillo:I love the Trojans.
Nick Portillo:You know, they've had some, some great years and a lot of bad over the last decade, but the atmosphere and the experience in the south is.
Nick Portillo:It's really hard to compete with that.
Nick Portillo:You know, being at the Grove in Oxford, Mississippi, or there in Baton Rouge, I'm sure Tuscaloosa or even Georgia and all the schools, they just, it's just over the top and it's.
Nick Portillo:I remember, like, when I just describe at least the Ole Miss experience, it's like it's a political event.
Nick Portillo:There's people that have like, pins for their local politicians that they want you to, you know, think about and vote for.
Nick Portillo:You've got your sororities and fraternities, they have all their pins and their gear.
Nick Portillo:You have your parents, your grandparents are there.
Nick Portillo:Like, it's just a whole, it's like unbelievable.
Nick Portillo:It's so cool.
Betsy McAtee:It's almost like a cradle to grave experience, as I like to say, because you've got everything from babies to grandma's, everything in between at the tailgating.
Betsy McAtee:You've got, you've got pets, you've got chandeliers, you've got the spread of every imaginable food and drink.
Betsy McAtee:And it is.
Betsy McAtee:And it's a, it's when I, when we call it a game day experience, it is an experience.
Betsy McAtee:It, it's not a.
Betsy McAtee:I'm going to go for an hour or two.
Betsy McAtee:I mean, it is a whole day.
Betsy McAtee:And there's people that start 8 o'clock in the morning and go all the way to kick off that night.
Betsy McAtee:But it is a lot of fun.
Betsy McAtee:And to me, what makes it so fun is even if you're, if you're a visiting team and you come to the University of Alabama for a game, you're welcomed.
Betsy McAtee:You know, we welcome everybody at tailgates and, you know, we just want you to have fun when you're there.
Betsy McAtee:Now, we want to beat your team always, of course, but we want you to have fun when you're there.
Betsy McAtee:And we want you to experience Southern food and culture, too.
Nick Portillo:That's Right.
Nick Portillo:And you went to University of Alabama.
Betsy McAtee:I did.
Betsy McAtee:I did, I did.
Nick Portillo:My wife, she watched this show.
Nick Portillo:I think it was on Netflix, around, like, the Sorority Recruitment.
Betsy McAtee:Oh, yes.
Nick Portillo:I'm not sure what the name of the show was.
Nick Portillo:I mean, I think it's more of a documentary and, like, how much that goes into it.
Nick Portillo:And like I said, being to ole Ms.
Nick Portillo:And LSU, like, I could definitely attest to.
Nick Portillo:At least from, like, a peripheral view, obviously, I was only there for a weekend each time, but of how serious and how big, you know, the Greek life is on campus.
Nick Portillo:I.
Nick Portillo:I was a Greek.
Nick Portillo:I was a fight elt at a small private school here in Orange county.
Nick Portillo:And, you know, much different experience seeing, like, the fight elves that were at Ole Miss, you know, they had this huge house, and it was.
Nick Portillo:They had been.
Nick Portillo:I think they'd been a chapter for, like, I don't know, a hundred years or something like that.
Nick Portillo:And.
Nick Portillo:And just a.
Nick Portillo:Just a cool experience.
Nick Portillo:But that's one thing I do know.
Nick Portillo:My wife watched that.
Nick Portillo:That documentary of the sorority life and how much goes into it to be a member there.
Betsy McAtee:Yes.
Betsy McAtee:And that was actually my sorority that was in that documentary.
Betsy McAtee:Yeah.
Betsy McAtee:So it was really, like, whoa.
Betsy McAtee:It's.
Betsy McAtee:It was not like that when I was there.
Betsy McAtee:It's.
Betsy McAtee:It's way bigger and.
Betsy McAtee:And bolder now.
Betsy McAtee:But it was.
Betsy McAtee:It was good experience.
Betsy McAtee:Experience.
Betsy McAtee:I came from a small town, so it was a great way to meet people.
Betsy McAtee:And because, you know, I had.
Betsy McAtee:I, like I said, grew up in a small town and had never experienced anything like that.
Betsy McAtee:So to be able to go in and have a hundred people that were my sisters, so to speak, it was a.
Betsy McAtee:It was a great, great experience.
Betsy McAtee:But I'm still very good friends with a lot of those girls today.
Betsy McAtee:There's probably about 20 that I'm super close with, and three of my best friends I was in sorority with at the University of Alabama.
Nick Portillo:That's one.
Nick Portillo:You know, one thing about Greek life, you know, from my experience, I played baseball at my college, and I was also in Greek life.
Nick Portillo:And, yeah, some my closest friends, you know, guys who were in my wedding, came from that.
Nick Portillo:My time there in the fraternity, you know, it's kind of a unique experience where you're going through something and you're experiencing something alongside other people simultaneously.
Nick Portillo:And so, like, as you.
Nick Portillo:Every year that you get older, you look back and those memory, like, you have memories.
Nick Portillo:Like, I have memories of riding my bike as a kid or playing basketball, you know, shooting hoops outside.
Nick Portillo:But, like, when you have when you can share those memories with others, like, it just carries it on forever, where you can think back and say, hey, remember that one time you did this?
Nick Portillo:Or remember we went to the football game or whatever may have happened?
Nick Portillo:Um, you know, it's just cool to have that.
Nick Portillo:To build that camaraderie with.
Nick Portillo:With people who went through similar experiences.
Betsy McAtee:Oh, absolutely, absolutely.
Betsy McAtee:And the fact that, you know, we had a pretty cool experience with football and going to football games, basketball games.
Betsy McAtee:So a lot of.
Betsy McAtee:A lot of.
Betsy McAtee:A lot of fun times.
Betsy McAtee:It was good.
Betsy McAtee:A good period of my life.
Nick Portillo:Totally.
Nick Portillo:So dreamland.
Nick Portillo:It's.
Nick Portillo:It started in Tuscaloosa or where was the first location?
Betsy McAtee: the first location opened in: Betsy McAtee:So it's the one we call the original.
Betsy McAtee:And it was opened by a man who's also in our logo.
Betsy McAtee:His name was John Big Daddy Bishop, and he was a larger guy.
Betsy McAtee:And he started as a neighborhood cafe near his home.
Betsy McAtee:And he had hamburgers, hot dogs, postage stamps, candy ribs.
Betsy McAtee:And what he saw was that he would sell out of ribs, but he would have all these other hamburgers and hot dogs left over.
Betsy McAtee:So in the true entrepreneurial spirit, he said, I'm just going to be ribs.
Betsy McAtee:So he was.
Betsy McAtee:He opened this neighborhood cafe called Dreamland Barbecue near his home.
Betsy McAtee:And he was a brick mason by trade, so he built a wonderful brick pit to be able to cook these ribs.
Betsy McAtee:And that was the product that just stuck.
Betsy McAtee:And Dreamland became known for.
Betsy McAtee:And for years and years and years, that's all that was on the menu were ribs.
Betsy McAtee:You could get a rib sandwich, a half slab or a slab.
Betsy McAtee:It came with white bread, Sunbeam white bread.
Betsy McAtee:And he had canned drinks, bags of chips, and canned beer, and that was it.
Nick Portillo:Wow.
Nick Portillo:My understanding, too, of barbecue is it's.
Nick Portillo:It can be very regional.
Nick Portillo:For example, like here in California, especially like in the Central coast, you know, a lot of tri tip is being eaten where.
Nick Portillo:I don't know if tritips really eaten other parts of the country.
Nick Portillo:I think they may be too dry or something like that.
Nick Portillo:You know what is.
Nick Portillo:When you think of, like, Alabama or barbecue, like what.
Nick Portillo:What is it that makes it so special?
Betsy McAtee:So Alabama barbecue is very diverse.
Betsy McAtee:Okay.
Betsy McAtee:Northern Alabama, you've got what they call Alabama white sauce, and it is primarily served with chicken or pork.
Betsy McAtee:And what's in the white sauce?
Betsy McAtee:And it's going to sound gross, but it's actually very good.
Betsy McAtee:It's mayonnaise, it's vinegar, it's black pepper.
Betsy McAtee:It can Be a little bit of horseradish in there and other spices.
Betsy McAtee:But the main ingredients are vinegar and mayonnaise.
Betsy McAtee:And it's something about that smokiness, but that's a real big product.
Betsy McAtee:Especially in north Alabama.
Betsy McAtee:They call it Alabama white.
Betsy McAtee:Everybody calls it Alabama white sauce.
Nick Portillo:I've never heard of that before.
Betsy McAtee:Yeah.
Betsy McAtee:So then in other parts of Alabama, you've got more of a sweet sauce.
Betsy McAtee:Not Kansas City sweet.
Betsy McAtee:Nothing against Kansas City, but that is very, very sweet.
Betsy McAtee:But what we have more in Alabama is a combination of the sweet and a little bit of the tomato base.
Betsy McAtee:Now, at Dreamland, our sauce is vinegar based.
Betsy McAtee:Also has the tomato base, but we have a little bit of back heat.
Betsy McAtee:We're not sweet at all.
Betsy McAtee:So our sauce is very, very different than what you see a lot of the barbecue sauces in Alabama.
Betsy McAtee:Now, we do have our version of a white sauce called twang, but it's not what we sell.
Betsy McAtee:A lot of our primary sauce is just our signature barbecue sauce.
Nick Portillo:It's making me hungry.
Nick Portillo:I've never heard of the white sauce before.
Nick Portillo:I definitely want to try your twang next time.
Nick Portillo:I.
Nick Portillo:Every year, my friends and I, you know, we're always.
Nick Portillo:We've done ole Ms.
Nick Portillo:And LSU.
Nick Portillo:Like, we're always thinking, like, what's the next SEC school?
Nick Portillo:You know, I think Alabama's definitely got to be on the list there at some point, and I'd love to come by and try.
Betsy McAtee:Yeah, absolutely.
Betsy McAtee:Absolutely.
Betsy McAtee:The other thing about Alabama that's very unique is we are primarily pork.
Betsy McAtee:You know, whereas Texas, you've got the beef.
Betsy McAtee:We're primarily pork in this market.
Betsy McAtee:We've got some places that you can get a brisket, but we're primarily pork and chicken.
Betsy McAtee:And what makes us unique at Dreamland is we still cook everything over an open pit.
Betsy McAtee:We don't have smokers.
Betsy McAtee:We.
Betsy McAtee:Everything that you.
Betsy McAtee:That we serve in that restaurant comes off of a pit with.
Betsy McAtee:And we use either hickory or white oak wood.
Betsy McAtee:So it's all wood fired pit cooking.
Nick Portillo:And how many locations do you have?
Betsy McAtee:There's 10 total.
Nick Portillo:Of the 10, are you doing the cooking there on site or you have like a central commissary?
Nick Portillo:How does that work?
Betsy McAtee:Every location cooks their own food, their own products.
Betsy McAtee:They all have a pit.
Betsy McAtee:We do have a USDA manufacturing facility in Birmingham, and we cook product there, and that product is vacuum sealed and shipped out on dry ice all over the country.
Betsy McAtee:And it's part of our E.
Betsy McAtee:Commerce.
Nick Portillo:Oh, okay.
Nick Portillo:I've seen that.
Nick Portillo:I've seen that across other barbecue brands.
Nick Portillo:Yeah.
Nick Portillo:They'll cook it within their own pits of like a commissary or some sort of manufacturing facility.
Nick Portillo:And then freeze it.
Nick Portillo:Yeah.
Nick Portillo:Put it in the.
Nick Portillo:In some sort of seal, some sort of vacuum pack seal, and then send it out.
Nick Portillo:You know, whether it's in traditional distribution or whatever that may be, I guess in your case, E Commerce as well, it goes.
Betsy McAtee:It goes direct to consumer.
Nick Portillo:When you look at, like, your day to day, you know, leading the company, what is.
Nick Portillo:What does that look like for you?
Betsy McAtee:That is an interesting question, Nick, because there's.
Betsy McAtee:I had this conversation with somebody on Sunday at a fundraiser.
Betsy McAtee:I'm like, you know, there's some days I don't do anything that has to do with making, moving, or selling barbecue.
Betsy McAtee:And then there's other days I am straight in the middle of it.
Betsy McAtee:Right.
Betsy McAtee:But my, my, my.
Betsy McAtee:Every day, what I focus on is making sure that we are serving not only the guests, the product that they come to recognize as a dreamland product, but that we're taking care of our internal guests, which are our employees.
Nick Portillo:Yeah, I'm sure.
Nick Portillo:Which is a.
Nick Portillo:Which is a very big undertaking.
Nick Portillo:How did you even.
Nick Portillo:How did you even find dreamland?
Nick Portillo:Like, how did you even get into this business?
Betsy McAtee:So, a little bit by accident.
Betsy McAtee:My father was a dentist by trade, and he was actually good friends with Mr.
Betsy McAtee:Bishop.
Betsy McAtee:And for years he would go down and have conversations with Mr.
Betsy McAtee:Bishop.
Betsy McAtee:And one day he said to Mr.
Betsy McAtee:Bishop, wouldn't you like for people to be able to eat your ribs after you're gone one day?
Betsy McAtee:And he said, I never really thought about it.
Betsy McAtee:And so from there, they struck up a conversation.
Betsy McAtee:And by this point, Mr.
Betsy McAtee:Bishop was getting older in age, he was having some health issues.
Betsy McAtee:So my dad and his daughter Jeanette became very good friends.
Betsy McAtee:And next thing you know, my dad is opening a Dreamland barbecue restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama.
Betsy McAtee:You know, and here you've got somebody that was a dentist, knew nothing about the restaurant industry, nothing about the restaurant business, but he had a passion for a high quality product and taking care of the guest.
Betsy McAtee:And it just.
Betsy McAtee:It clicked.
Betsy McAtee:It just clicked.
Betsy McAtee:And then I joined the company about 20, 20 plus years ago.
Betsy McAtee:My background was Frito Lay.
Betsy McAtee:I worked for Frito Lay and I did all the fun, sexy stuff like deliver potato chips on a Frito Lay truck all over north central Florida.
Betsy McAtee:And I had the opportunity to be transferred to Birmingham with Frito Lay and had a great career there, but just saw a need where I could come help my dad and help him grow the brand.
Betsy McAtee:And we did just that.
Betsy McAtee:He retired many years ago and he passed away probably about eight or nine years ago.
Betsy McAtee:So he didn't see all of our locations that we have today.
Betsy McAtee:But he's looking down on us every day.
Betsy McAtee:He's keeping us in check.
Nick Portillo:I love that.
Nick Portillo:So when your dad gets involved in the business with Mr.
Nick Portillo:Bishop, there was one location essentially there, the original.
Nick Portillo:Right.
Nick Portillo:In Tuscaloosa.
Betsy McAtee:The original in Tuscaloosa.
Nick Portillo:And then your dad, who's a dentist by trade, just has this great idea, hey, I'm going to start my own dreamland location.
Nick Portillo:And so he expands from there.
Nick Portillo:Did he.
Nick Portillo:In his time working in the business, did he open up additional locations?
Nick Portillo:I know you mentioned you have 10 now.
Nick Portillo:When did those additional eight come along?
Betsy McAtee: lch, who sadly passed away in: Betsy McAtee:John was John Haddocks experience in the restaurant business.
Betsy McAtee:He had come up from Pensacola and they opened.
Betsy McAtee:We opened three.
Betsy McAtee:And then when I came on the, we opened the rest of them.
Nick Portillo:I love that.
Nick Portillo:I love that.
Betsy McAtee:Yeah.
Nick Portillo:So you're not just Alabama, though.
Nick Portillo:You mentioned you're in Georgia as well.
Nick Portillo:What other states do you cover?
Betsy McAtee:Right now I'm just Alabama and we have two in metro Atlanta, one in Roswell and then one in Duluth, which are suburbs of metro Atlanta.
Betsy McAtee:Atlanta.
Nick Portillo:Do you have plans to expand, you know, whether it's within Alabama or within Georgia or even to other states?
Betsy McAtee:Absolutely.
Betsy McAtee:There's some markets within Alabama that we would love to be in.
Betsy McAtee:I think the one thing that we've all learned over the past few years is, you know, just how critical supply chain is your labor force and.
Betsy McAtee:But we do have plans to grow and to open additional units and then we've also grown our E Commerce platform where not only are we shipping out all over the country, we distribute our barbecue sauce in grocery stores throughout Alabama and some local retailers.
Betsy McAtee:And then we are in concessions in a couple of stadiums.
Betsy McAtee:In fact, we're in Bryant Denny Stadium with our barbecue products.
Nick Portillo:All right.
Nick Portillo: gine, you know, going through: Nick Portillo:Some challenges, especially around supply chain.
Nick Portillo:You know, trying to get products and source even the even things you wouldn't even think of like maybe like a.
Nick Portillo:Maybe your vacuum pack.
Nick Portillo:Right.
Nick Portillo:Your seals or your linings within boxes.
Nick Portillo:Like it's just everything was short paper plates.
Nick Portillo:It's just so many things that you take for granted because you just wouldn't expect it.
Nick Portillo:Hey, I can't get paper plates.
Nick Portillo:That's Crazy to me.
Betsy McAtee:Well, we couldn't.
Betsy McAtee:We were running all over town getting paper plates.
Nick Portillo:That's right.
Betsy McAtee:And I remember someone said something about, did y'all change your plates?
Betsy McAtee:I'm like, honey, we are just happy to have plates.
Nick Portillo:With COVID which has come and brought a new, you know, a new business landscape.
Nick Portillo:You know, you mentioned E commerce.
Nick Portillo:Is your E commerce side of your business.
Nick Portillo:Does it rival what you're doing with your brick and mortar locations?
Betsy McAtee:No, it doesn't.
Betsy McAtee:It is a great segment for our business.
Betsy McAtee:Now, during COVID it was booming because we had a lot of people, you know, shipping product all over.
Betsy McAtee:And I would.
Betsy McAtee:I helped answer the phones back then because, you know, there were, you know, we were doing whatever we had to do to survive.
Betsy McAtee:And I would answer the phone and, you know, somebody be telling me their life story about how they're sending this food to, you know, their daughter or son in New York City.
Betsy McAtee:And I was.
Betsy McAtee:I was just so touched by all that.
Betsy McAtee:But their E commerce is growing, but it has not.
Betsy McAtee:It doesn't rival the rest, the restaurant sales yet.
Nick Portillo:Yeah, for sure.
Nick Portillo:When you look into the future for yourself and for dreamland, what is, like, something that you hope to achieve that you haven't yet achieved?
Betsy McAtee:Oh, boy, that's a good one.
Betsy McAtee:I think we want more people to experience what we consider to be true barbecue.
Betsy McAtee:I think sometimes I think there's less and less people that do it the way we do it now, which is cooking over an open pit.
Betsy McAtee:It's way more expensive.
Betsy McAtee:It's way harder.
Betsy McAtee:You've got to have almost technicians, if you would.
Betsy McAtee:That.
Betsy McAtee:That are.
Betsy McAtee:We call them pit masters.
Betsy McAtee:Yeah, because they, you know, every.
Betsy McAtee:Every fire is different.
Betsy McAtee:Every slab is a different size to, you know, there's little nuances, but we want to expose as many people as we can to.
Betsy McAtee:To what real barbecue is, because I think a lot of times it's gotten a little too commoditized, and what people really think is barbecue is really not.
Nick Portillo:Yeah.
Nick Portillo:You know, I can speak to California.
Nick Portillo:We have, you know, in the barbecue category, I think the word I would use is maybe a little lacking.
Nick Portillo:There are some good barbecue options out here, but it's not as like, part of, you know, the food culture as much.
Nick Portillo:We have some chains out here.
Nick Portillo:I don't know if you're familiar with, like, dickies.
Nick Portillo:I think they're out of Texas, maybe is here they do a nice job.
Nick Portillo:And there's some other, like, local, like, mom and pop shops that do, you know, do barbecue.
Nick Portillo:But, like, over an open pit or have like an actual pit master, like, you just don't really see that that much.
Nick Portillo:And the locations that do come to mind that have that, they are popular out here.
Nick Portillo:Like, when you really take it to the.
Nick Portillo:To the, you know, top level, to the top degree, customers love that and appreciate it.
Nick Portillo:And they come back.
Betsy McAtee:Oh, absolutely.
Betsy McAtee:Because, you know, you want to see your food being cooked.
Betsy McAtee:You know, you want to experience that.
Betsy McAtee:You want to.
Betsy McAtee:I mean, we.
Betsy McAtee:Our pitmasters are like local celebrities.
Betsy McAtee:In our restaurants, when people want to have their picture made, they want to talk to them because, you know, we all want to know what the secrets are.
Betsy McAtee:Right?
Betsy McAtee:Everybody's got their own little secret.
Nick Portillo:That's right.
Betsy McAtee:And just being able to capture that and replicate that and let people know that that's real deal, you know, it didn't come out of a box or a bottle or a can.
Betsy McAtee:It.
Betsy McAtee:It's being cooked right there in front of you.
Betsy McAtee:And I think that's very, very important.
Nick Portillo:All right, Betsy, I got one final question for you.
Nick Portillo:What's your thoughts on Coach DeBoer?
Betsy McAtee:So how do you follow the greatest.
Betsy McAtee:Right.
Betsy McAtee:How do you follow, as they call him, the goat?
Betsy McAtee:Coach Saban?
Betsy McAtee:I think he's done.
Betsy McAtee:I think Coach DeBoer's done a very good job of respecting what was there before and continuing on, but using his own methods and experiences and ways because, you know, he was successful at Washington and he was successful at the other.
Betsy McAtee:At the other schools where he was.
Betsy McAtee:So I think that he realized that, you know what?
Betsy McAtee:I can't.
Betsy McAtee:I can't.
Betsy McAtee:I'm not going to be the cookie cutter.
Betsy McAtee:I've got to do it my way.
Betsy McAtee:But I think you always have to respect what happened before you.
Betsy McAtee:And he was on game day with Coach Saban.
Betsy McAtee:And there's a.
Betsy McAtee:There's a mutual admiration that I picked up during that.
Betsy McAtee:That broadcast.
Betsy McAtee:And I think that.
Betsy McAtee:I think.
Betsy McAtee:I think the win over Georgia last weekend was huge.
Betsy McAtee:To kind of let him, as they say, have his signature win, because that's like, okay, that.
Betsy McAtee:That was his win.
Betsy McAtee:That was his win.
Betsy McAtee:And I really like him.
Betsy McAtee:I think he's a great guy.
Betsy McAtee:I've met him.
Betsy McAtee:Very personable and just kind of brings a different change.
Betsy McAtee:But also he's.
Betsy McAtee:He's very passionate about what he does.
Betsy McAtee:And.
Betsy McAtee:And you've got to be.
Betsy McAtee:To be successful.
Nick Portillo:That's right.
Nick Portillo:He seems to have a calm.
Nick Portillo:Yeah.
Nick Portillo:Personable, you know, easy tempered.
Nick Portillo:And then you see him in the game over the weekend.
Nick Portillo:It was like within a minute before halftime.
Nick Portillo:And He's.
Nick Portillo:He's like red in the face, and he's yelling.
Nick Portillo:He's freaking out over play that the.
Nick Portillo:That the refs missed, which he should have been.
Nick Portillo:They should have been able to kick a field goal.
Nick Portillo:I mean, if you look at the end of the game, that one play, that could have been the difference in the game.
Nick Portillo:You know, thankfully, they came out in the end still winning, but, I mean, at the end, it got very close, and that one field goal could have been the difference.
Betsy McAtee:It could have been the difference.
Betsy McAtee:You're.
Betsy McAtee:You're absolutely right.
Betsy McAtee:Every play counts, you know, just like every yard counts.
Nick Portillo:That's right.
Betsy McAtee:Just like in our business, every guest counts.
Betsy McAtee:You know, it.
Betsy McAtee:It all matters, and it all.
Betsy McAtee:It adds up to be big things.
Nick Portillo:That's right.
Nick Portillo:Well, Bessie, thank you so much for.
Nick Portillo:For taking time to do this, and perfect timing, too, coming off the.
Nick Portillo:Coming off the game, and.
Nick Portillo:And I'm glad to see that Alabama get.
Nick Portillo:Get a win.
Nick Portillo:That was really fun to watch, and I.
Nick Portillo:I genuinely want to.
Nick Portillo:You know, after our conversation, I want to come out and go to Dreamland and try it out and, you know, and tried the whole Alabama Tuscaloosa experience.
Nick Portillo:I think it's definitely a bucket list that we should all try at least once.
Betsy McAtee:Absolutely.
Betsy McAtee:We would love to have you, and we'll give you that good old Southern hospitality.
Nick Portillo:That sounds good to me.
Nick Portillo:Thank you so much.
Betsy McAtee:All right.
Betsy McAtee:Thank you.
