Restaurant Report: Love That BBQ

Grills and smokers—check. Picnic tables—check. Repurposed gas station—check. These three signs of great barbecue are evident as soon as you approach Love That BBQ, Walter and Bonny Love’s barbecue place in South Knoxville. The “love” in Love That BBQ is a nod to the owners’ last name, but it’s clear the Loves have a love of all things ’cue.

Walter has lived in South Knoxville his entire life. “I went to Vestal University,” he quips. Bonny’s from Texas. “That’s where our brisket comes from,” she says. The Loves have catered locally for about 15 years. “We’ve done weddings, tractor pulls, reunions, and UT football games,” says Walter. “But every time we’d drive by this place, we’d say, ‘We’re going to open up [a restaurant] right here.’ Even when we were kidding about it.” Almost a year ago, the Loves got serious about it and opened up Love That BBQ in the former gas station. “I could always picture smokers where the pumps used to be,” says Walter.

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