Baker Bros BBQ and The 90-Year Baker Family Legacy

Drew Baker remembers growing up on this very block of 200 W. Main Street when his grandfather and his brothers owned the family pharmacy across the street from Baker Bros BBQ, the business that Drew now owns. He started working in the restaurant business in 1987 as a busboy and has worked every position there is since then, including learning how to barbecue from a family friend in highschool. Downtown Jackson is more than a place his business is located, it is home to Drew and carries a family legacy. 

“There’s a nostalgia element here for me. I tell people I literally grew up on this block. And when I opened this restaurant, I brought back the Baker Bros name,” said Baker. “We’ve been hearing for decades that good things are coming downtown, and we’re finally seeing that come to fruition. Having grown up here, I remember downtown kinda being a destination, but it was dying. Now with all the new stuff that’s come and the diversity here, I dig that and I think that’s the great thing about being downtown.”

Over the past 35 years of working in the food and beverage industry, Drew has learned what to do and what not to do, but the most important thing to him as an owner is to be involved in every aspect of the business. Restaurant ownership isn’t just walking around greeting customers and doing the “fun” jobs, it’s being willing to scrub toilets and wash the dishes. Drew takes ownership in every aspect of the business. He demonstrates this by smoking every piece of meat that comes out of Baker Bros BBQ. It must go through his very own hands. Drew describes himself as a purist, he doesn’t cover the meat in sauce or rub, he wants it to speak for itself. 

Drew has created a culture of family legacy and excellent food in his business, and this carries over into the streets that surround him. He wants other businesses to join him downtown, not just because the costs are low compared to North Jackson, but because they want to be a part of creating a community in this space. 

“The most rewarding part is carrying on a 90 year family tradition on the 200 block of W. Main street. I think my grandfather would be proud that we’re thriving and now we have the next generation of Bakers involved in the business,” said Baker. “Participating in the resurgence of downtown and seeing downtown basically go to zero and then start to come back, it’s very satisfying and I feel like I’ve had a tiny part in it.” 

Not many downtown business owners can tell the story of four generations on the same street. Drew Baker wants others to be involved in this legacy of a family atmosphere in Downtown Jackson.

“I think it’s significant for any city to have a thriving downtown, the history is here, the tradition is here, and it just makes sense for everyone to come down here.”