Founder’s Month will soon be in full swing, and you may think you know everything about us. Well, are you up for challenge? Here are five fun facts about Sonny’s that may surprise you. But hey, we know we’ve got some loyal fans out there, so if you know these, it would not surprise us.
Fact #1 – Will the Real Sonny Tillman Please Stand Up?
If your heart skipped a beat when you read that title, don’t worry, Sonny is still Sonny. He’s still the same guy who opened the first Sonny’s on Waldo Road in Gainesville, Florida back on May 16, 1968. He’s the reason why we’re having our big ‘ole Founder’s Month celebration.
But, did you know “Sonny” is not really his first name? It’s “Floyd”. Sonny was a nickname. Yup, Floyd “Sonny” Tillman. The man, the myth, the legend. How’s Sonny’s doing now you may ask? As of the time of this writing in May 2025, he still lives within a short drive of the Waldo Road restaurant. You may catch him there after one of his fishing trips from time to time. He’s going on 96 years old, and we can’t wait to celebrate his next birthday.
Fact #2 – Starting with Sliced
A lot of you know us, (and love us), for our Pulled Pork. It’s hard to see why not. When it’s piled high on a sandwich and slathered with Sweet BBQ Sauce, it’s hard to deny how good it is. However, if you stopped by Sonny’s shortly after it first opened, you wouldn’t be able to find it.
When he first started firing up the Pit, Sonny only offered Sliced Pork. It took until the 90s for Pulled Pork to make it onto our menu. Sonny thought Sliced Pork was a premium product you couldn’t find anywhere else, and he wanted to offer something different to his guests. It’s that focus on value and variety that remains important to us today. In fact, if you want to try it out, you can have Sliced Pork on your $11 Pork & Rib Combo every Wednesday in May.
Fact #3 – Start Your Smokers
Now, we’ve heard the rumors and myths that our meats are pre-smoked. Or, they arrive to our restaurants already done, and we can assure you: it’s not true. All of our BBQ, that means pork butts, Certified Angus Beef® brisket, ribs, chicken and more is smoked fresh in house.
If you walk into any Sonny’s, you’ll likely see a Smoker within a few steps of the front doors. It’s usually just behind the takeout window, and that’s one of two smokers cooking up all of that delicious BBQ. Our local Pitmasters are highly trained, and are constantly loading and unloading your favorite meat so it’s fresh from pit to plate. If you ever want to see our smokers in action, just ask a team member, we’re sure they’d be happy to show you.
Fact #4 – Nuggets Before Rolls
Honestly, if any combination of words can bring us pure joy, it’s this: BBQ Pork Egg Rolls. That combination of cheese, coleslaw and pulled pork just comes together in the perfect way every single time. However, while the Egg Roll is a Sonny’s staple, it’s not the oldest appetizer currently on our menu.
Corn Nuggets made their debut long before the current fan favorite “rolled” in. You may be wondering why these lasted so long, and to that we have one simple question: have you tried them? These crispy bites of creamy corn are the perfect combination of sweet and salty. We recommend getting a side of ranch to dip them in. Trust us, it takes them to a whole new level.
Fact #5 – This Pulled Pork Day is a Perfect 10
Every October, we get the party started for National Pulled Pork Day. This year’s celebration is going to be something special. 2025 will mark the 10th celebration of the day, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve got planned.
How did we kick things off for the first celebration? Well, go big or go home, right? We gathered all of our team to create the World’s Largest Serving of Pulled Pork back in 2016. We went way back in the archives and found this video from our Facebook page of the all of the fun. After getting the certification, we made sure the food was safe, and ended up donating the leftover pulled pork to local food pantries and shelters.
Share your Sonny’s Knowledge
So, were any of these no-brainers? If anything, hopefully we provided some fun trivia for your next stop at the water cooler, or your next dinner at your local Sonny’s. Got any more facts we missed? Tag us @sonnysbbq on all social media channels, and we can’t wait to see what you can find.
