Our Story

The real 'Willy B”, Bill Bayersdorfer, was initially inspired to create his award-winning and critically-acclaimed barbeque items during his college days at the University of Alabama. The world-famous restaurant Dreamland BBQ gave him the idea to establish Willy B's. After graduating and completing an extremely successful career in the retail business, Bill decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a formidable force in the food industry.

It took Bill 10 years to develop and perfect Willy B’s world-renowned barbeque sauce, complimentary dry rub, and one-of-a-kind smoking process. He then began business in July 1993 by selling barbeque from a New York City-style street cart in Louisville, KY. Just 60 days after starting his street corner business, Willy B's began receiving its first of infinite awards to come - Willy B’s was judged #1 Ribs in Kentuckiana. For a sampling of more accolades, ranging from the New York Times to The Food Network’s Best Of series, go to the News and Public Relations area.

In May 1997 Willy B’s found a permanent home on Upper River Road in Harrods Creek, KY. This move allowed Bill to expand his menu and include a plethora of side items, ranging from gourmet soups to his 5th generation family recipe for world-famous brownies. It also enabled him to expand the catering segment of Willy B’s operation. With his catering success came the next step in Bill’s career - closing his restaurant and widening his scope to provide an expanded selection of products for catering and corporate gifts. Even more exciting was the fact that, at the same time, Bill began the development of Willy B’s brand to serve customers around the world.

Even while Willy B’s was garnering critical acclaim, Bill still found time to get involved with the Louisville community. In 1994, Bill founded the Great Kentucky Harvest Grill Out, which he hosted for the next 10 years. He was also actively involved with the WHAS Crusade for Children, the Salvation Army, and Junior Achievement, as well as providing support for a number of other charitable causes. Due to his civic commitments, Bill has been honored by Business First newspaper as one of Louisville’s “40 Brightest Business-People Under 40 years old”.

How has Willy B's become so successful in such a short time? It all stems from Bill's philosophy: "Treat the customers fairly and give them a great product at a fair price. The rest will take care of itself."