POWELL CO., Ky. (LEX 18) — Opening a business at the Red River Gorge was never a part of the plan for Shawn and Crystal Thatcher, but when life gave them lemons, they knew what to do.
“I was working in the coal mines and she was working in a surgeon’s office, and I got laid off,” said Shawn.
Reevaluating their careers, the duo decided to do something completely different, maybe even a little crazy.
“Well, the first thought was a food truck because that seemed to be more manageable, so we started buying equipment for a food truck, and then a small building in our hometown opened, and we cashed in everything that we had,” said Crystal.
The Thatchers went all-in on a barbecue restaurant in Jackson, despite never having worked in the restaurant industry before. They gathered some family recipes and named it Thatcher Barbecue Company.
Then, another idea came along as the Thatchers thought back to their roots and all the times they visited the Red River Gorge.
“If you do any research in the restaurant business, any restaurant is slow on Monday from 5 o'clock to 6 o'clock, but when you come down here at 5 o’clock or 6 o’clock, they’re wrapped around the building at Miguel’s and the other restaurants,” said Shawn. “I've been coming to the Gorge all my life and I didn't realize how many tourists were coming down here.”
In 2021, Thatcher Barbecue Company made the move to Slade, but as they tried to open their new facility, they were met with all the obstacles of the pandemic.
“At one point we were like, ‘Well, we’re not gonna be able to do this,’ and we’d almost given up,” said Shawn.
But they’d put too much work in to back out so soon.
The Thatchers stuck it out, and today, a bustling barbecue restaurant and music venue sits on Natural Bridge Road, often selling out of its most popular items on the menu.
When asked if they thought Thatchers will become a staple of the Gorge, the couple quickly replied, “Absolutely, it already is.”
If not for the brisket, patrons come and come back again for the music venue next door, Pit House.
There, the venue and full bar welcome crowds of 150+ to see singer/songwriters perform.
Pointing out posters depicting all the artists who’ve graced their stage, Shawn said, “Music to us is life, it’s as much a part of this as the barbecue is.”
Nine years into a business venture that some called crazy, Thatcher BBQ Company has already become a go-to in the Gorge.
