Local Eats
25 years later Squealer ’ s Bar-B-Que
Local Eats
Teresa Cranmore stands behind the bar at Squealer ’ s Bar-B-Que where she tries out new flavors with the help of hungry volunteers .
25 years later Squealer ’ s Bar-B-Que
From its humble beginnings in a “ shoot-house ” structure with a Southern Pride smoker attached , Meridian ’ s Squealer ’ s Bar-B-Que has come a long way serving some of the area ’ s best barbecue and fixings for 25 years , and if owner Teresa Cranmore has her way , the Great River Drive business will satisfy customers ’ appetites for years to come .
Cranmore , who is an accountant by trade , was working for a man who , along with a business partner , owned several convenience stores . The two businessmen purchased the smoker at a food show , and she soon found her calling .
“ I fell in love with it , and I told my husband , ‘ If you ’ ll build it , I ’ ll figure out how to get the people to come to it ,’” she said .
Story & Photos by Thomas Howard
I listen to my customers . I honestly do .
Business was slow at first , with the restaurant making about $ 30 per day . However , word began to spread , and more people came to try Cranmore ’ s homemade barbecue sauce and custom rub recipes .
After the restaurant started to gain a following , a local convenience store chain set up Squealer ’ s inside a Collinsville store . That arrangement lasted about three months before Cranmore realized it was not the place for Squealer ’ s .
“ So we ended up on North Hills Street at what used to be a snowball stand right across from the Subway and
Sonic there ,” she said . “ We were there for about 12 years .”
During that time , Squealer ’ s also opened a second location in the College Park shopping center that was a dine-in only restaurant . At the time , the North Hills loca-
Teresa Cranmore
26 • MERIDIAN LIFE