A Women-and-Children-First Barbecue Restaurant Is Planned for Westside

Opening in Westside this summer, Das BBQ is a new smokehouse that wants to "help define Georgia barbecue," reports Atlanta Magazine. The restaurant will focus on pulled pork and ribs, an admirable gesture in this suddenly brisket-heavy town, but instead of operating as a smoky hole-in-the-wall, owner Stephen Franklin wants to clean things up a bit. Specifically, he wants to offer a dining area that won't scare away women and children.

"Our one-liner, mission statement is to reinvent the barbecue experience and to make it accessible for everybody. That includes women, children, and men, in that order," Franklin told Atlanta. "Appealing to men is not that difficult, but there's a threshold anxiety that a lot of women have. They see a bunch of smoke going into a place. As far as the experience, the decor, the color schemes, the type of material being used — the actual experience of the place itself we want to pair with the personality of our people. ... If you're a women or a child, how do you get treated? What does the place look like? You want them to have an experience."

Finally, a barbecue restaurant that will be a safe place for those of the fairer sex and their little babies. Apparently the dining room will be separate from the smoking pits, which will help keep everyone nice and clean while they eat.

The name "Das BBQ" is meant to honor "German and Czech settlers who first brought smoked meats to this region." Meats will be smoked on hickory and pecan wood, and two sauces will be available: a tomato-based that's between thick Kansas City-style and the thin vinegar variety of North Carolina and a version made with Georgia yellow peaches and cane sugar. In addition to some traditional barbecue sides such as Brunswick stew, Franklin plans to serve at least five "true vegetarian options."

Das BBQ will open in a space the previously housed Pizza Hut at 1203 Collier Road, and the current timeline calls for a June launch.