The first Golden Rule Bar-B-Q restaurant was founded in Irondale, Alabama by the Williams family in 1891. Located on a major dirt road, the restaurant originally catered to travelers.[1] The original wood building had dirt floors, but it was later moved to a new location with a wood floored dining room.[2] The restaurant served barbecue pork and other refreshments.[3] The construction of U.S. Route 78 placed the restaurant on a major route between Birmingham, Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia. Because it served beer, it was popular with travellers who had to pass through dry counties on their way to Atlanta.[4]
Ellene Williams married Jabo Stone in the 1930s, and they ran the restaurant together.[5] The location was moved again in the 1960s when the highway was widened, and the new building had neon signs and a metal awning.[2] The Williams-Stones had no children to inherit the business and eventually decided to sell the restaurant.[5] In 1969,[6] the restaurant was sold to Michael Matsos, a Greek American from Massachusetts who operated La Paree, a successful steakhouse in Birmingham.[4] Jabo Stone had frequently visited Matsos' steakhouse,[7] and Matsos in turn had enjoyed Stone's restaurant. Like with his other restaurants, Matsos hired Greek chefs and managers to help him run the restaurant.[4]
Matsos expanded the restaurant's menu to include Coca-Cola, French fries and a green salad.[2] He later moved the restaurant to a new location near the Interstate 20 in the 1970s.[4]
As of 2007, the restaurant was being run by Michael's son Charles.[8] It had 29 locations throughout Alabama in 2013.[2] The restaurant was purchased by Brian Kemp in 2023.[9] It is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Alabama.[6]
