Penguin Ed's Bar-B-Que

Penguin Ed's Bar-B-Q is a locally owned and operated restaurant that came from humble beginnings. What began as an impromptu enterprise under a borrowed tent has grown into a business with a loyal patronage and three permanent locations in Fayetteville.

It was three years before the barbecue shack graduated from the tent to a building. In those years, owner Ed Knight operated out of a small trailer, years ahead of the popular boom of food trucks.

Penguin Ed’s Bar-B-Q

penguineds.com

Fayetteville:

6437 W. Wedington Drive

(479) 251-7429

230 S. East Ave.

(479) 521-3663

2773 E. Mission Blvd.

(479) 587-8646

Breakfast 7-11 a.m. Sat. and Sun. at Mission Boulevard. Open for lunch at 10:30 a.m. at all locations. Slow, hickory-smoked meats, sandwiches, salads, wings, homemade cookies and pies. Dine-in, carry-out, catering, banquet rooms.

The intrigue of the penguin mascot cultivate a personal connection between the staff, customers and restaurant.

In his downtime, Knight started to craft a fleet of emperor penguins from papier mache. He would place the penguins around the trailer and perch them in different places each day. It began as a quirky craft and grew into a cult following.

Knight never expected the penguins to have such an impact, but the customers adored the quirky mascots and began referring to the formerly named Crossroads Bar-B-Q as Penguin Ed's.

People started to bring Knight all sizes of penguin novelties. Today, there is a fanatic collection on display throughout the restaurants. It contends for the largest collection of penguin novelties in the country.

Each location has a slightly different menu, although all offer more than barbecue. There are burgers, wings, salads and baked goods, including "Audrey's Infamous Cookies."

Slow-smoked, hickory-enhanced ribs and chicken were staples from the beginning, and as business grew so did the offerings. Smoked meats now include beef brisket, chopped beef, pork shoulder, pulled pork and pulled chicken, and at some locations ham, Polish sausage and hot links.

The Wedington Drive location has a private room that can hold up to 35 people. The Mission Boulevard location has a banquet room that can accommodate up to 65 people. The location serves breakfast from 7 a.m.-noon Saturday and Sunday.

Breakfast includes diner-style items such as eggs, home fries, pancakes, bacon, sausage or biscuits and gravy. There are also breakfast tacos, French toast, quiche, omelets and fresh-baked scones, muffins and cinnamon rolls.

The full menu for each location is available online at penguineds.com/menus-locations.

NAN Dining Guide Spotlight on 07/24/2015

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