About UsLarry Johnson and his wife, Kaye, co-owner, work side by side along with Lanzce, Victor and James - nephews, and Odies - sister, various other extended family members, and friends to keep the doors open, keeping customer service at the forefront and plenty of good food on the table. When asked what advice they would give entrepreneurs considering the BBQ industry the answer is “make sure you got plenty of help and be ready to spend a lot of money on good product .” Larry is quick to explain, “We would not be where we are today had it not been for all of the help that we get from others who want Hand-Me-A-Rib to succeed.”
Hand-Me-A-Rib was started by Larry in Vacaville, CA in 1999. Open for only one year, through blood, sweat, and tears, Larry developed a high-quality product along with a relatively good customer base. But, most of all, he learned during that year through hard knocks that it takes a lot more to run a successful restaurant. Larry decided to close the business exactly one year after opening (he was working full time on another job as well). It was just too much for him to handle.
Larry was born in Tyler, Texas, one of seven children, where he was introduced to bar-b-q as an inexpensive way to celebrate Juneteenth, Fourth of July, and just about any other holiday and/or occasion. At the young age of 13 he dreamed of owning a bar-b-q restaurant. He felt, if given the chance, he could be successful in the bar-b-q restaurant business. However, he knew absolutely nothing about how to actually cook BBQ! He didn’t have a recipe, money, or even a plan, but he did have a dream and the gift of gab. Someone told him once that he should talk to people who already owned a restaurant that they might want to get rid of. Sure enough – that’s exactly what happened!
In 1983 Larry moved from Texas to San Rafael, CA and began working as a water treatment operator. His wife, Kaye and their three sons, Chad, Saul, and Ty soon followed. Larry and Kaye worked hard to raise their three sons and, the same year that their youngest graduated from high school, Larry decided to step into his dream. Seven years after the first one closed, on March 1, 2007, the doors to Hand-Me-A-Rib opened again, at a 900 Alamo Pkwy, Vacaville, CA - a new location, a new staff, a new look; but the same exceptional product where Service, and Exceptional BBQ Is the Only Business!
