photograph by tucker tull
Abe Aldawahidi and Linda Johnson.
When Linda Johnson became “co-captain” of Captain John’s Bar-B-Q, the Collierville barbecue restaurant didn’t have a lot of other businesses around it.
That was some 34 years ago when Johnson and her late husband, Ron, became owners of Captain John’s, a hot-pit barbecue restaurant housed in a small brick building with a red-and-yellow sign at 106 U.S. Highway 72 East. “We have the reputation for being the oldest restaurant in the city,” Johnson says.
“There are so many new people in the area, it just looks like an old restaurant to them. But people who have lived here for 30, 40, 50 years, they know that it’s been around.”
photograph by abe aldawahidi
Maycee Meriwether and Tucker Tull.
Johnson originally went to work for the MBM (Moss, Boyd, and Morton) Company, which was opening Coleman’s BBQ franchises across the Memphis area. Her job included hiring people and helping place the equipment after the company bought the building. Later, she and her husband, who also worked for MBM, bought four Coleman’s barbecue restaurants in Arkansas.
In 1981, John Boyd, one of the MBM investors, bought the Coleman’s in Collierville after he retired “just to give him something to do, I guess.
Boyd, a professional pilot, was leaving the airline he worked for, Johnson says. He changed the name to “Captain John’s.” About nine years later, the Johnsons bought the business from Boyd.
At that time, it wasn’t yet a busy area. “The shopping center was there,” says Johnson. “That was originally built along with the barbecue place. There was a theater back in there, and a big grocery — a Big Star, I think — behind us.”
photograph by michael donahue
Maycee Meriwether serving a jumbo barbecue sandwich.
And, she says, “The Shell station next door was the Dragon Den, a little hamburger place,” the name honoring the Collierville High School mascot. “You just walked up and ordered at the window. There was no place to go in and sit down. A lot of teenagers hung out there; they’d sit out front and do what teenagers do.”
Not much has changed at Captain John’s Bar-B-Q over the years. “We’ve tried our best and worked really hard to keep it the same.”
Their barbecue isn’t vinegar-based like the pork at other places. “The sauce has stayed exactly the same,” Johnson says. “We cook it the same. We have an open pit, and we use charcoal and hickory wood.”
The menu was smaller when they first became owners, she says. “We only had barbecue, hamburgers, and a little fish sandwich, and that was that. We’ve since added several things. We now have ribs, chicken, hot dogs, salads. Just as times change, you have to change.”
Johnson and her husband divided up the job responsibilities. He handled the payroll and bookkeeping and she ran the business, doing everything else, including cooking. “I don’t physically work there anymore, but I do go in several times a week. Not daily — every other day or so, and spend an hour or so. I know everything that’s going on.”
Captain John’s is known for its barbecue, but also for its employees. The motto is “Fast, Friendly Service,” with the emphasis on service, Johnson says.
Business has always been good. “We have our regulars, and some we’ve had for 30, 40 years.”
photograph by abe aldawahidi
The author finishing his plate.
One reason for Captain John’s longevity, of course, is the barbecue. “The fact that we’ve always cooked it the same way on that open pit. And we’ve had the same barbecue sauce, same barbecue bean recipe, and same slaw. Those are all very important to keep. But probably the consistency is what we try to go for. We want it to be the same this week, next month, and next year. We don’t want it to be good one time and not the next.”
They’ve recently added new items, including Philly chicken and Philly chicken steak sandwiches.
On “Catfish Fridays” customers can order fried catfish, a choice of two sides, and a drink. Sides include beans, fries, slaw, okra, onion rings, and hushpuppies.
And they still sell the same “little fish sandwich.” Johnson says it’s just “a little square [piece of] codfish” but remains a popular item. “We’ve had that for years. When I went first went to work here, they were selling that same sandwich.”
Captain John’s is located at 102 East U.S. Highway 72 (Poplar Avenue) in Collierville.
