Floyd “Sonny” Tillman, the founder of the Sonny’s BBQ restaurant chain, died on Monday, the company said in a news release. He was 96.
Family members wrote on social media that Tillman died in his sleep, surrounded by family members.
Tillman opened his first restaurant in 1968 -- Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Cue -- on the eastern outskirts of Gainesville, Florida, aiming to create “a neighborhood BBQ restaurant where community members could gather and bond over quality food.”
The chain, located mostly in the Southeast, currently has 91 locations across eight states and 78 cities. Florida has 64 locations, while Georgia has 14. Kentucky boasts six restaurants, and there are two each in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina each have one location.
In 1977, the company expanded, selling franchises across the Southeast. The first franchisee was John Kirkpatrick, who opened a Sonny’s in Ocala, Florida.
“Although expanded to eight states, we’re still a local BBQ joint,” the company notes on its website. “We’re just in more locations.”
In its heyday, the restaurant had more than 150 locations, opening its 100th in 1998.
Last night, my grandfather, Sonny Tillman, passed away peacefully surrounded by family.
— 🆃🅸🅻🅻🆈™️ (@JT_Till7) December 8, 2025
Most people knew him for his legendary BBQ and his deep love for Florida Gator Athletics, but I was blessed to know him for so much more.
He was my “Pop,” my example, and my mentor. Pop, I… pic.twitter.com/yVtfyPR4RM
Tillman sold his company to businessman Robert Malkani, who owned M Group International, in December 1988. The two men were embroiled in legal battles in 1990 over handshake agreements Tillman had allegedly made to 38 franchisees, according to court documents. Tillman denied Malkani’s allegations.
“It’s a real unfortunate situation we’re going through right now,” Tillman said at the time. “There’s a hell of a lot I’d love to say, but there’s not much I can say right now.”
The lawsuit was settled in March 1991. Nearly a month later, cousins Bob Yarmuth and Jeff Yarmuth, who operated franchises in the Orlando area, bought the company from M Group. Bob Yarmuth remains the owner of Sonny’s, which is still based in Florida but is now headquartered in the Orlando suburb of Winter Park.
“Sonny Tillman embodied everything that is special and everlasting about Sonny’s BBQ,” Jamie Yarmuth, CEO of Sonny’s, said in a statement. “His kindness and generosity were unparalleled, and while he may have made his name in the barbecue world, his philanthropic heart and an ability to create a true family dynamic at Sonny’s were undoubtedly his greatest accomplishments.”
On Feb. 11, 2020, Tillman presided over the grand reopening of the original Sonny’s in Gainesville.
Floyd Earl Tillman Jr. was born in Miami on Aug. 14, 1929. He moved with his family to Orange Heights in Alachua County and left high school in the 10th grade to serve in the Navy.
You started a company because you had a passion. That passion became a way of life for so many. The countless stories and friends you made along the way are things of legends. Your vision became my vision, and part of who I am today is because of you. Pitmaster to Pitmaster,… pic.twitter.com/Licrar76bT
— Shannon Snell (@theebigbossSS) December 8, 2025
Tillman’s wife of 72 years, Lucille, died on Oct. 8, 2021. She was 91.
“Throughout his life, Sonny never lost sight of the principles that guided the restaurant’s founding, allowing him to build Sonny’s BBQ into one of the nation’s premier barbecue restaurants, a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Information from newspaper archives was used in compiling this report.
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