Barbeque Dreams Come True

Before Phil and Dianna Pipkin opened “Phil’s Dream Pit” restaurant in Kingsport, you might say it was a leap of faith years in the making.

“Phil has barbequed for 30 years,” Dianna Pipkin said. “[We] started smoking meat at home and all our friends and neighbors raved about his food.”

Encouraged by all the positive feedback and their love of cooking, Phil and Dianna kept their “day jobs”, but purchased a smoker in 2007 and began catering their famous barbeque. 

“Most people wanted to be able to try your foods first, so that was an obstacle, not having a storefront,” explained Dianna. 

While they had both dreamed of opening their own restaurant, Dianna says they were apprehensive about taking the plunge. 

“The challenge was that we could not keep our full time jobs and make a go of the restaurant,” explained Dianna. “We needed to be hands on all the time.”

That’s when fate stepped in. When Dianna’s job was eliminated and at the same time Phil’s employer talked about moving them away from East Tennessee, Dianna believes their great moment of opportunity came knocking.

“Phil was born and raised here and wanted to retire here,” Dianna said. “We decided if we didn’t give it a go we probably would not have the opportunity again.”

With backgrounds in running warehouses full of product, Phil and Dianna also found invaluable guidance through the Department of Economic and Community Development’s Business Enterprise Resource Office (BERO). 

“BERO was such a help to us. Besides the BERO loan that we got, which helped us pay our bills that first year, we had such a wealth of information and assistance readily available to us to guide us and instruct us in. I attended many great workshops that BERO put on throughout the state.”

Armed with a BERO loan and a lot of faith, Phil and Dianna opened their restaurant in Kingsport in February 2009. 

“I tell everyone that I meet who is considering opening a business to contact BERO, or go online and find out all the resources available through BERO,” Dianna added. “There is no reason for anyone to start a business on their own—the resources and people available to help are numerous and all are willing to take the journey with you.”

Phil and Dianna have four full-time employees with dreams to one day expand the barbeque business behind their current property. If you do decide to visit, Dianna says her favorite part of owning the restaurant is creating a welcoming, neighborly and of course, tasty experience for all of their customers.

“The favorite part of our business is the fellowship with the customers,” says Dianna. “We have been so blessed to have really great customers—many of whom feel like family.”

You don’t have to live in Kingsport to enjoy Phil and Dianna’s labor of love; you can buy their special barbeque online at www.philsdreampit.com or at your local Walgreen’s stores.