Photograph courtesy of Socks Love Barbecue
When Steven Hartsock opened Socks Love Barbecue in 2018, he fulfilled a dream he didn’t know he had. Located in a Cumming strip mall, the counter-service restaurant became a magnet for barbecue enthusiasts from the Atlanta metro area, with some fans traveling from as far away as Texas. After years of perfecting his smoked brisket, Hartsock has turned the keys over to new ownership. The sale marks the end of one chapter, but for Hartsock, barbecue has always been more than just a business.
It started as a hobby. Hartsock began working in construction after he graduated high school and enjoyed having a creative outlet on the side. He valued sharing meals with friends and family, and barbecue lends itself nicely to casual gatherings. “There’s something special about food and sharing a meal that breaks down barriers and walls, and puts everybody on an equal playing field. And barbecue just has that,” he says. Barbecue also spoke to the maker in Hartsock. “I’ve found over the years that a lot of people that really nerd out on barbecue are kind of techy and creative and like to build things with their hands, because it just takes time and patience,” he says. “There was just something about that process that drew me to it, and cooking with wood and live fire and no electricity.”
When Hartsock and his wife, Kim, tied the knot in 2010, he made a spice blend called “Socks Love Rub” for their party favors. “I was just messing with barbecue at my house on the weekends, and when I did the rub I thought I’d turn it into a commercial seasoning and see where it goes,” says Hartsock. He had it bottled and sold it at butcher shops around town. Shortly after, he started catering friends’ parties and gatherings. “Meanwhile, still at my full-time construction career, the catering kind of just blew up, and took off,” says Hartsock. “Going into 2015, my wife and I had decided that I would leave my construction career and try catering.” By 2018, Socks Love was a fully operational restaurant. It quickly became known for a mean smoked brisket, inspired by the Texas-style brisket made by the Fox brothers, decadent sides like rich macaroni and cheese, and eventually house-made sausages. “People travel from all around to buy our sausages,” he says. “They’ll come in, buy a dozen, and just take ‘em home.”
Photograph courtesy of Socks Love Barbecue
Not too long after opening, the pandemic arrived. Despite the stress that came with running a business during a global event, there were glimmers for Hartsock. An article in a national publication called Socks Love the most popular barbecue restaurant in the state (according to Yelp) and Hartsock saw a surge in business. His efforts to help save nearby Lake Burrito, owned by the Retana family, caught the attention of Kelly Clarkson, which gave the restaurant another boost. “It was just such a scary time,” says Hartsock. “We were takeout-only and we were getting all this great press and publicity and sales were good, and we were going, it seemed like in the right direction, but everything was just up in the air.”
Selling the restaurant wasn’t an overnight decision. A few years ago, he and Kim (who works as an accountant) were vacationing in the Florida Panhandle when they had a heart-to-heart about the future of Socks Love. Hartsock was burnt out, working 50 to 60 hours per week, and not spending enough time with his wife and three children (two of whom are in college now). “Kim basically said, You’re going to have to find somebody to replace yourself, or we’re going to have to rethink this barbecue venture,” he recalls. “That was heartbreaking, because I knew there was a lot left and I didn’t really get a fair opportunity with all the issues that came out of Covid. I wasn’t willing to give it up.”
Photograph courtesy of Socks Love Barbecue
He hired a right-hand man which freed up some of his time, but when that partnership ended, Hartsock began to wonder whether he was ready to go back to 60-hour weeks. Instead, he reached out to Brian and Kelly Tam, longtime owners of Tam’s BackStage, a 20-year-old restaurant in Cumming. “I kind of blew Brian’s mind when I proposed this opportunity for him,” says Hartsock. In an Instagram post announcing the transition, Hartsock wrote that, “SLB will live on as is. It won’t skip a beat. Rest assured the new caretakers will uphold our standards and beyond.”
Now that the deal is done, Hartsock feels content. “I thought that maybe through this process, I kind of felt like I would have some regret. But I feel a real peace about this,” he says. “I feel like I’ve done my part.” At 46, Hartsock looks forward to getting back into construction projects and having the flexibility to visit his college kids at their schools. He still has a passion for barbecue and spice rubs, too. “I will definitely be cooking at home,” Hartsock says. “But there will be no restaurants in my future anytime soon—that’s for sure.”
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