This Founder Didn’t Set Out to Open a BBQ Restaurant – He Recognized an Opening And Went For It

Will Newman, founder of Edley’s Bar-B-Que, turned years of regional BBQ exposure into a growing restaurant brand. As a former law student and restaurant operator, he focuses on thoughtful growth while honoring the legacy behind the name.

Watch now to learn how a law student recognized an opening, named a restaurant with purpose, and navigated the realities of growing a BBQ brand.

Sponsored by:

• TOAST AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Chapters:

[05:04] - Naming Edley’s After His Grandfather

[12:34] - Seeing the Best BBQ Winner at Halftime

[14:02] - Recognizing the Gap in Nashville Barbecue

[23:05] - Giving Up the BBQ Sauce Recipe

[27:56] - When the Second Location Exposed the Cracks

SPONSORS:

RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS IS PRESENTED BY TOAST —

Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point of sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience.

• Toast AllIn1 Restaurant POS

Episode Links:

Will Newman LinkedIn

Edley’s BarBQue

Edley’s BarBQue Instagram

Edley’s BarBQue TikTok

Key Takeaways:

Exposure Creates Confidence to Act: Spending years on the road between Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Memphis gave Newman a broad view of barbecue before he ever opened a restaurant. That exposure shaped his instincts and gave him the confidence to recognize opportunity when he saw it.

Permission Often Comes from Comparison: Watching a Best BBQ winner recognized during halftime at a Titans game was not intimidating to Newman. It was clarifying. Having tasted enough barbecue across regions, he realized the bar was reachable and decided to act.

Legacy Raises the Stakes of Growth: Naming Edley’s after his grandfather set a standard before expansion ever began. As the business scaled, Newman learned that growth is only meaningful if each new location can live up to the name on the door.

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ABOUT WILL NEWMAN —

Will Newman is the owner and founder of the restaurant concept, Edley’s BBQ one of the fastest-growing fast-casual restaurant concepts in Tennessee. Nashville entrepreneur Will Newman is no stranger to good barbecue and Southern hospitality. Born in Memphis and raised in McMinnville, Tenn., Newman grew up admiring the generosity and hard work of his grandfather, Edley Newman, and always wanted to find a way to honor him. After graduating from The University of Tennessee, Newman opened Marble Slab Creamery in the Atlanta area, followed by opening one in Nashville. Later, Newman decided to head back to school to earn a law degree from The University of Alabama, but shortly after, he realized his true calling was in the hospitality industry. With an entrepreneurial spirit and his grandfather’s legacy in mind, he began dreaming of a barbecue joint built on Southern soul, and in 2011, along with his wife and business partner Catharine, opened the first Edley’s Bar-B-Que in Nashville’s 12 South neighborhood.

ABOUT RESTAURANT INFLUENCERS —

Restaurant Influencers is a weekly video podcast series presented by Entrepreneur Media and @CaliBBQMedia. Every week host and restaurant owner @ShawnPWalchef talks with business leaders like Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Dyrdek, Emeril Lagasse, Mayim Bialik, Jon Taffer, Robert Irvine, Toast co-founder Aman Narang, and more, about their secrets to Smartphone Storytelling, marketing, branding, and how to show up where customers are engaging online.

Published by Entrepreneur Media

Produced by Cali BBQ Media