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2021 SESSION

21102301D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 594
Offered January 15, 2021
Commending Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que.
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Patrons-- Batten; Senators: Cosgrove, Mason, McPike and Norment
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WHEREAS, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que, an award-winning pit-smoked barbecue restaurant, has served the Williamsburg community for 50 years, earning local, statewide, and national acclaim for its iconic fare; and

WHEREAS, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que was established in 1971 by Julius C. “Doc” Pierce and his wife, Verdie, and their son Julius C. Pierce, Jr., continues to steward the family business; and

WHEREAS, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que’s unique name was the result of a misspelling by the painter of the first plywood sign over the restaurant’s eye-catching orange and yellow cinder block building, and while the original sign eventually came down, the name has endured, becoming well known to locals and visitors alike; and

WHEREAS, when it first opened, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que prepared about 60 pounds of slow-cooked pork per week and sold sandwiches for 85 cents; the restaurant has grown to include six smoking pits with a maximum daily capacity of 6,000 pounds of barbecue; and

WHEREAS, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que uses the highest quality pork Boston butts and sources free-range chicken and vegetables from local farms; as the only open-pit barbecue in Virginia, it uses at least two cords of hickory and white oak each week; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the careful, low-and-slow cooking process, the hallmark of many dishes at Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que is its zesty, Tennessee-style sauce, the recipe for which was refined over countless family dinners and remains a closely guarded secret; and

WHEREAS, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including recognition from the Travel Channel, Southern Living, Coastal Virginia, Garden and Gun, and National Geographic; and

WHEREAS, over the years, Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que has become ingrained in local mythology, with colorful anecdotes about the restaurant handed down through generations and new memories made by customers every day; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que on the occasion of its 50th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the establishment’s culinary excellence and legacy contributions to the Williamsburg community.