Garden City barbecue staple working to reopen after weekend fire

GARDEN CITY, Ga. (WTOC) - A fire over the weekend damaged part of Smokey’s Barbecue on Augusta Road, leaving the longtime family-run restaurant facing months of repairs.

SEE: Fire crews respond to fire at Smokey’s BBQ

The damage is easy to spot.

What was once a porch and exterior wall is now a pile of charred wood. The fire also spread into the building, which will extend the recovery timeline.

Still, owner and pitmaster Tammy Woodard said she’s staying focused on what comes next.

“Is the inside perfectly fine?” Woodard asked. “Absolutely not!”

Woodard said the restaurant is named for her father’s nickname — “Smokey” — and she inherited the building he purchased in 1995. Her family has operated the business for more than 30 years.

Instead of dwelling on the loss, Woodard said her faith helps keep her steady while decisions are made.

“I’ve been telling people for the past two weeks to get a good ‘hey’ off in your spirit… keep it together,” she said. “Because if your emotions are all over the place, you just can’t make the right decisions.”

Woodard added that her mindset comes from leaning on her beliefs when life changes unexpectedly.

“When stuff happens, good or bad, can you get to a point in your life where you say, ‘I will bless the Lord, at all times. His praises will continue to be in my mouth,’” she said.

Woodard said most of the damage is concentrated on one side of the building. She hopes Smokey’s can reopen once required inspections are completed.

The rest of the structure, however, will take longer.

“It’s gonna take a long time,” she said. “I don’t want to say a long time, but it’s going to take a lot longer than next week.”

Woodard said she hasn’t set up a GoFundMe.

“No,” she said. “If somebody feels any kind of way about what’s going on over here at Smokey’s Barbecue, if I ask anything I ask that you lift me up in prayer. And keep watching, keep watching.”

Garden City Fire Rescue reported no major injuries or smoke inhalation at the scene. The fire was labeled an accident.