You can visit them on Facebook.
DOVE’S BBQ
Tar Heels BBQ sauce along with coasters. Both let people know you support Doves BBQ.
The decor in the restaurant. It really gives it a down-home ambiance.
The owners and operators of Doves BBQ. Stephen (L), Cindy (M), and Terry Dove (R).
Retro posters that hang on the wall. Each are available for purchase.
BLADENDBORO – What constitutes a small business?
What are the limitations? The strengths? Bladenboro knows a thing or two about that as it’s home to a number of small businesses. One in particular though has withstood everything that could be thrown at it and every time they keep getting stronger. They’re constantly adapting while still keeping their core customer base of Bladenboro in mind.
The Dove Family have made a tremendous impact on their community with their business. The business in question is Dove’s BBQ, it’s a restaurant down the road from the Handee Hugo’s in Bladenboro. The first thing that you will notice about the restaurant when you walk in is the retro nature that permeates the walls and atmosphere. The restaurant specializes in sandwiches and plates as well as merchandise that you can buy in order to represent the restaurant.
Terry Dove, son of Talmadge and Melba Dove, runs his business on kindness and family. He does his best to continue building on the business’s success and part of that success is them making all of their seasonings and sauces in-house. You can find tar hill brand sauces in the restaurant and even purchase them.
“We make all of our sauces. We do everything homemade according to mine and mothers’ recipe, and that’s what sets us apart from everyone else, nobody can copy us,” said Dove.
The family nature of the business doesn’t end there as Terry is joined by his wife Cindy and their son Stephen as well as their other employees who have definitely become members of the Dove family through their years with the business. Together they’ve managed to continue Dove’s Barbeques mission to create an environment that you as a customer can feel at home. The restaurant business wasn’t always what Terry wanted to do though. He is a welding fabricator by trade but when the restaurant business called, he jumped in to it headfirst.
“We’ve been in the restaurant business for a total of about 40 years, and this Labor Day will be our 28th year in this location,” said Dove.
Before Dove’s BBQ, there was Dove’s Country Kitchen in 1979 where Melba Dove first began her journey in the restaurant business. Now decades later, her memory lives on through the food and memories that she so delicately made with thought and care. The last couple of years haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows though as the COVID pandemic and other circumstances definitely tested this family business.
“It’s been crazy. If you’ve been a small business, you’ve done good to survive.” said Dove.
Dove’s BBQ has adapted well though as it has made sporadic changes to its menu with new items from Stephen and his wife Amanda who sought to keep the business fresh and constantly accepting new ideas. They also allow carry out orders as well as eating inside. The business has a notable number of followers with 40.2 thousand on Facebook which gives them a great base to reach their audience of loyal customers.
“We try to stick to our little part of the world,” said Dove.
Little is a massive understatement as the way Dove’s BBQ has cemented itself within the hearts and minds of the people of Bladenboro is astonishing. Whether a packed or slow day, The Dove’s continue their standards and practices of good business which has definitely served them well. Often small business is ignored in favor of bigger and more corporate industries but here, community impact and how you run your business keeps people coming back.