A family-owned barbecue restaurant in St. Pete, McCall & Sons BBQ, was hit by a theft that affected their business. The restaurant’s trailer-mounted smoker, built by the late Grady McCall Sr., was stolen from outside the restaurant on 49th Street South.

Community Response

Grady McCall III, one of the three brothers running the restaurant, discovered the smoker missing and collected surveillance footage from neighboring businesses. The video showed someone arriving around 1 a.m., hitching the smoker to a small SUV, and driving away northbound on 49th Street.

After turning the footage over to detectives, McCall posted the surveillance video on social media, and the response was immediate, with hundreds of people sharing the post across Florida and beyond. A few days later, someone recognized the smoker and called with a tip, leading to its recovery.

The theft came at a difficult time for independent restaurants, which are operating on razor-thin margins while facing rising food costs, higher insurance premiums, increasing rents, and slower consumer spending. McCall said his family’s restaurant has experienced many of these challenges and has had to become more resourceful to keep meals affordable for customers.

The family’s commitment to affordability has helped build a loyal following over nearly three decades. Their goal remains the same: to feed the neighborhood without pricing people out. The community’s response to the theft was especially meaningful, with McCall saying it felt good to know the community was behind them.

Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.