Trucker transitions from the road to the kitchen

For Tony Greene, the plan for “retirement” was simple.

For more than a quarter century, Greene had dedicated his life to the trucking industry, driving a semi across the U.S.

“My trucking career started around about 1998 or 1999,” he said. “I started out with a small trucking company (MDR) out of Jonesboro, Arkansas.”

Just 17 months after he signed on, however, that company sold out.

“So, the search for a good company was on,” he said. “I tried several different companies.”

Unable to find a permanent niche to call “home,” Greene says, he stuck with flat-bedding for 13 years before finding his way to a reefer division.

As the years passed, his desire to be at home a little more and raise children grew. Finally, he decided to go local. He took a job hauling chicken feed, driving for the outfit for about four years before switching to a part-time driving gig with a local company.

“My greatest memories (of trucking) are the friends I’ve made all across the country, the stories I’ve heard and the friends that have remained friends over the years. We still communicate,” Greene said.

Over his quarter-century in trucking, Greene drove for multiple carriers, pulled numerous styles of trailers and saw all 48 continental U.S. states, as well as Canada and Mexico. In 2021, however, he decided it was time to spend more of his hours at home with his family and less time on the road.

With too much time on his hands, it was time to start working on a plan.

While he resides in Pocahontas, Arkansas, Greene wanted to stay close and be able to do something for others.

He found an easy way to do that: Feed people.

That’s how Greene’s Beans Buns and Barbecue was born. He started small, first operating out of a food truck. That food truck soon became a mobile restaurant that he hauled all over Northeast Arkansas, attracting loyal customers as it went.

From that point, the Greene began working to build the business. One of their neighbors gave them a camper, and with a little investment of time, money and elbow grease, the trailer was equipped and ready to roll.

“After a few months I decided to bring it back to our hometown,” Greene said. “I started out selling very little. But I stuck with it, and it became busier and busier.”

All the while, he continued to drive, at least on a part-time basis.

“During COVID, my company wanted me to drive more, but I was already making more out of the trailer than I was driving for them,” Greene said. “We came to the conclusion that we should part ways to let another driver fill that seat. That’s when (the business) became a full time BBQ trailer.”

In just three years, the eatery’s growth has been monstrous. In fact, eight months after rolling out his food truck, Greene outgrew it and graduated to a brick-and-mortar location.

June 1, 2024, marked the restaurant’s second year in “the shack,” as Greene calls the new standalone business.

“For the first time in my life I’ve felt good about taking that risk,” he said. “When I moved to (the restaurant to Pocahontas), the guy that was here told me to bring my ‘A game.’”

Was it a taunt?

“I guess so, but I never thought much of it until he put it up for sale,” Greene said.

The restaurant started out with a modest menu. However, in a short time, the business took off, and the staff started taking pre-orders for ribs and other items.

Now the eatery is a full-service barbecue joint.

“We are currently open six days a week from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.,” Greene said. “It takes up all my time now.”

He doesn’t mind the work, though.

“It is such a pleasure to see all my customers smile when they look up,” he said. “They know they’re fixing to get some good ol’ country-smoked meats.”

And to think it all started because a truck driver wanted to feed his friends.

Bruce Guthrie

Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.