SHELBY – The Hidden Hog BBQ has come out of hiding.
Following a year-long hiatus, Dawn Kershner from Hidden Hog BBQ, decided to get back in the restaurant business, returning her restaurant to its original location at 19. N. Gamble St. in Shelby, where it was previously known as Shelby Floats & BBQ.
“I had to go and rebuy a bunch of stuff because we sold it when we closed,” Kershner said. “But I was watching Facebook and people were saying they missed our cheesy potatoes and pulled pork… so I talked to my husband and we put stuff on Facebook to see what kind of feedback we could get from everybody, and then they started getting excited about it.”
Kershner and her husband, Daryl moved the restaurant to 740 Springmill St., Mansfield, in 2015 with the hope of expanding. At that location, the couple changed the name to the “Hidden Hog Breakfast & BBQ,” and added several breakfast items to their menu.
Unfortunately, that gamble didn’t work. They were only there for about six months before closing the doors.
“Overhead in Mansfield was a little more than I anticipated,” Kershner said. “And maybe the location wasn’t best for us.”
But after taking a break from a business she loves, Dawn convinced her husband to take another gamble. This time at their previous Gamble Street location in Shelby.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun. That’s why I do it,” she said. “And I’m a people person. I like meeting people, talking to the customers.”
Kershner liked the name they’d used at their Mansfield location, “Hidden Hog,” so they kept that. But the old “Shelby Floats & BBQ” sign still hangs outside on the front of the store, as a reminder of the past.
Despite the name change, the restaurant’s menu remains unchanged. It serves pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, smoked chicken drumsticks, coleslaw, baked beans and more.
“It works. Everybody likes it, so I’ve never had to change the recipes,” Kershner said.
The cheesy potatoes was her own recipe, which she perfected before even entering the restaurant business. The idea for BBQ pie with pork and brisket – a popular menu item – came from relatives in Texas.
Soup is served on Wednesdays and everything is homemade, right down to the BBQ sauce.
The restaurant is now open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It also offers catering services. It’s grand opening was Monday, April 17.
“People want us to be open longer, but I just don’t have the time right now,” Kershner said.
While she hopes this will eventually be possible, she also works Tuesday, Thursday and every other weekend as a receptionist at OhioHealth Hospital. Her husband, Daryl has his own delivery and maintenance businesses.
“So far it seems pretty good,” Kershner said. “Everyone’s excited about us coming back.”
