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Follow The Smoke

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2007

PLANT CITY - Keeping it simple and consistent is the philosophy that the owners of First Choice Southern Bar-B-Que use to ensure success.

Roger Storr and Leland Young have been taking the same approach to the restaurant business since they opened their Brandon eatery in 1992. That process is bringing customers into their new Plant City location again and again.
Storr and Young, a Plant City resident, in March leased a building at 712 S. Collins St. that through the years has housed restaurants such as Catfish Country and Porter's. But they didn't start serving food until Sept. 19, when everything was perfectly in place, Storr said.

'The first thing we had to do was bring the building up to code,' Storr said. 'The city gave us a list that seemed a mile long. But in fairness to them, when the work was done and the list was satisfied, the city signed us off, and we opened the doors.'

The new owners made changes inside the building, including major modifications to the serving area and the kitchen. They also added a 20- by 30-foot smokehouse out back.

'Follow the smoke to everyone's choice,' Storr said. 'That has been our motto for 16 years. That is why we aren't going to mess with a process that works. We have to have a good product to be successful. We know that if someone wants to get good barbecue they will go great distances to find it. In Plant City, you don't have to go far to find First Choice.'

Like in Brandon, everything served on the menu is prepared fresh daily, Storr said. The Brandon location is at 10113 E. State Road 60.

First Choice serves beef, pork, corned beef, turkey, sausage and rib sandwiches for about $5. The same meat served as a dinner costs from $7.25 to $7.75 A quarter-chicken dinner is $5.75, a half-chicken, $7.75. A combination dinner costs $9.25.
Side dishes include beans, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, fries and fritters.

'Simple and consistent,' Storr repeated. 'A lot of our business in Brandon is takeout because the seating capacity is so small. We can seat about 100 here right now. Our lunch and dinner customers are keeping them full.'
Storr and Young's friendship goes back further than their history as business partners.

'We worked together right here in Plant City at Asgrow Chemical Co. on State Road 39, north of town,' Storr said. 'They now call the company Pro Source. Leland and I are best friends as well as business partners. We've been looking to open a restaurant in Plant City for a few years now. This site became available, and we jumped at it. We're glad to be here.'

FIRST CHOICE SOUTHERN BAR-B-QUE, PLANT CITY

ADDRESS: 712 S. Collins St.

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday.

TELEPHONE: (813) 752-7788, or fax, (813) 752-7004. First Choice welcomes catering and delivery orders.

ON THE WEB: firstchoicebbq

.com

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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