Happy 30th To PJ’s BAR-B-QSA!

SARATOGA SPRINGS — PJ and Carolyn Davis have owned PJ’S BAR-B-QSA located on 1 Kaydeross Avenue West since 1984, marking this 30 successful years in business “Our slogan is, ‘Barbecue — it’s not what we do... it’s who we are,’” PJ Davis, also known as the “Pit master”, said. Before being in the restaurant business, the couple both taught in elementary schools for 23 years. During this time, the opportunity to open up his own restaurant always sat in the back of PJ Davis’ mind. In 1974, the Davises opened a barbeque catering business that they only ran during the summertime when school was out of session. Then in 1984, the couple bought and opened a restaurant that is now PJ’s BAR-B-QSA, and in that time had two children, son Johnny, now 37, and daughter Jady, now 35. As PJ’s grew in popularity, it became too challenging to keep teaching while operating the restaurant so they both quit their teaching jobs. PJ’s employs a staff of up to 60 but that doesn’t stop the owners from doing everything from the cooking to the bussing. PJ Davis came up with the inspiration for PJ’S distinctive menu in 1999, which took the country’s best regional favorites and put them into one restaurant. Today, PJ’s diners can experience the best BBQ from around the country such as New York State Fair chicken, Memphis or Kansas City ribs, North Carolina pulled pork, Texas beef brisket, and Pacific Northwest’s smoked salmon all available under one roof. 2012 was the year that PJ’S began to stay open year-round, seven days a week.