Beaufort family opens barbecue spot near Hunting Island. They’ll deliver to the beach
A Beaufort family known for making the best of difficult circumstances has done it again, and this time the results are positively mouth-watering.
Beach Bums Barbecue and its accompanying “Sweet Room” for treats and desserts held its grand opening Saturday on Sea Island Parkway on Harbor Island near Hunting Island State Park.
The restaurant’s owners are Bill and India Dickinson, parents of a blended family with five children.
Ten years ago, while Bill was serving with the Marines in Afghanistan, ”Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” literally blew up the family’s mold- and water-damaged home on national television and rebuilt it from the ground up with the help of hundreds of local volunteers.
Then, an early morning fire last November destroyed parts of the dream home where they stilll live off Mystic Circle in Beaufort, and the family found itself in a rental on Fripp Island. The commute to and from their temporary housing put them in just the right place to notice a sign advertising an available restaurant space.
“If it wasn’t for the fire, we wouldn’t have found this place,” India said.
Bill, who had retired from the military and started a job with General Electric, said he was ready for another job change, this time to follow his longtime dream of running his own barbecue business.
“I just had to get off the road,” Bill said. “I was missing too much time with family.”
Restaurant and renovations
Work to repair the family’s Beaufort home still hadn’t started as of Monday, India said. The fire, which was traced to a house guest’s cigarette that smoldered for hours on the porch before spreading, burned the part of the house containing the dining room, along with its custom table and chairs, and wrecked the HVAC system that had been designed to ease their youngest child’s respiratory issues.
While they weren’t able to rebuild their home because of delays with the insurance company, the Dickinsons put their energy into renovating their new restaurant. The building previously housed Marsh Tacky Market Cafe.
Beach Bums Barbecue can seat 14 inside and has four picnic tables outside. The outdoor area is decorated with strings of lights and kids’ games, making it an ideal place for families to hang out. The Dickinsons explained that their hope is to host generations of residents and visitors.
“We want to be part of people’s memories,” Bill said.
For now, the family is doing all the work of running the restaurant themselves. Two of the Dickinsons’ children drive from Charleston to lend a hand, and a 13-year-old nephew is learning the ropes as well.
“I think they are loving this adventure as much as we are,” India said. “It’s a life lesson for them. It’s a great lesson for them to see what it’s like running a business.”
The menu
Youngest daughter Sophia, 11, is in charge of the Sweet Room, which has a take-out window on one side for shaved ice, Blue Bell ice cream and homemade desserts. Customers also can pick up pralines, bear claws, taffy and other sweets from Savannah’s River Street Sweets.
Within the next couple of weeks, the menu will include Key West key lime pie, brought in from the Florida Keys.
All the meats and sides are prepared from scratch.
The menu includes pulled pork sandwiches or plates, ribs, chicken leg quarters and barbecue hash with rice. Plates with one meat and two sides are $10.50, and military and first responders get a 10% discount.
Bill, who grew up in Texas, calls it “Texas-style barbecue with a Carolina twist.”
Customers can choose from four different sauces: Dolphin Kiss (mustard-based); Shark Bite (spicy mustard-based); Jelly Fish (tomato-based); or Man of War (spicy tomato-based).
Sides include mac and cheese, cole slaw, potato salad or chips.
“One of our biggest sellers is our baked beans,” India said. The maple syrup used in the recipe is shipped directly from a farm in Minnesota, and Bill smokes the bacon before it’s crumbled in.
The restaurant’s hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday unless food sells out earlier, which has been a regular occurrence in the restaurant’s first week.
Initially the family planned to close in the off-season, but the early response has them rethinking that idea.
Said India: “Because we love our locals, we may just cut back our hours.”
If you go
What: Beach Bums Barbecue
Address: 2137 Sea Island Parkway on Harbor Island
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, unless food sells out earlier
Phone: 843-541-PIGS
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beachbumsbarbecue
Website and delivery: Beach Bums Barbecue will deliver south of the Harbour Island Bridge and into Hunting Island State Park. Deliveries must be set up online at www.beachbumsbarbecue.com.
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 4:20 AM.
