Submitted Photo
Claire Kivior
Contributing writer
In 1990, Bill and Dremma Gaul said hello to their first barbeque restaurant in downtown Roanoke’s market building. Originally, Bill and Dremma got their start in the restaurant business with Burger in the Square. Soon after, they noticed a barbeque place for sale, and decided to buy the business.
It wasn’t until 2003 that Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque found its current home in Botetourt Commons in Daleville. Bill and Dremma wanted to consolidate their businesses into one full restaurant so they would have more time to raise their kids, Will and Piper.
“At the time, I didn’t really know anything about barbeque. I know I liked to eat barbeque, but I didn’t know about making barbeque,” says Bill. “That’s when we started researching about barbeque, and visiting different restaurants, learning everything we could about everything people did, and couldn’t do.”
The Gauls tweaked and modified recipes for nearly a year before discovering the perfect recipe. They wanted to “try to get a menu where there’s something on there for everybody to enjoy. Everyone can come here with a group and everyone can find something.”
A menu with something for everyone means lots of regular customers. Bill is amazed at just how many regulars they’ve had over the years, even some who carried over from their previous restaurant downtown. Some regulars come from across the country.
“Hundreds (of regulars) if you add them all up…customers who do cross-country trips, who make a point to stop here around mealtime, and I’ll recognize them even if its four to six months since I’ve seen them.”
What is even more impressive than their cross-country customers is their staff. After the recession of 2009, Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque entered its second decade in operation. The business’s success is accredited to a management staff the Gauls could really count on. Good management meant no longer working ungodly hours and having people who they could rely on. It “meant the world to us.”
Some staff members even grew up within Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque.
“Some kids come work for us right in high school, and we watched them grown up, go off to college, then come back come to work for us for summers, and vacations, then eventually get married, starting to have kids… It’s amazing to see these guys and girls who worked for you when they were just young, fresh-face kids, then see them grown into adults with families of their own.”
One of Bill’s favorite memories of his time running Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque was at their annual Christmas party. The Gauls and their staff were exchanging presents in a game called “Dirty Santa.” Bill opened a gift from one of their employees— a pair of socks with a collage for Dremma and his weddings pictures on them. “She had found them on Facebook,” Bill said laughing, “I had to take them. Who else needed that?”
Bill explained that owning and running your own business for nearly two decades isn’t all fun and games. One of the most valuable lessons he learned was how to let go of employees who were “competent but disruptive.” It can be hard to separate personal relations with employees, who mean well, but are socially disruptive. “Think it’s like that way in every workplace,” says Bill.
Bill and Dremma are now saying goodbye to Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque. The Gauls are ready for retirement. They plan on using their newfound free time to volunteer and travel. The Gauls didn’t want to wait too long to retire, and now seemed like the right time to do so. Bill disclosed that Three Li’l Pigs Barbeque will be in good hands with the new owner, Brian Tyree, who has worked with Bill and Dremma for years.
“We had the opportunity with Brian to take up the restaurant. It’s just a good time to get out, we still enjoy the work, and come in when we can.”
The sale went through to Tyree on October 1. Don’t worry, you can still find Bill and Dremma working part-time under the new owner.
“We’ll continue to work here for Brian until he gets sick of us,” joked Bill.
The Gauls have high hopes from Tyree. Bill ensured that “Brian is gonna continue to do well, we will still be around.”
After the sale of Three Li’l Pigs, don’t expect any menu alterations, Tyree will not “make any changes, just gonna continue to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Submitted Photo
