Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q in Alachua will say goodbye to its owner and hello to a new look this week.
Sonny Tillman, founder of Sonny’s, sold the Alachua restaurant to John Kirkpatrick, an independent franchisee, after his contract with the franchise company ended. Amy Tillman, Sonny’s daughter, said her father was invested in the restaurant but confident in Kirkpatrick’s ability to take over.
“He’s really looking forward to Kirkpatrick owning it,” she said. “It was (Sonny’s) first franchisee when he was a franchiser like 30 to 40 years ago, so we’ll go eat there anytime we want.”