By Tom Kohler
Nov. 4, 2025 – I call myself a born and stayed Savannahian. I have lived here for 71 of my 73 years. These days I generally get invited to talk about how things ‘usta’ be. Now, I’m going to admit that ‘usta’ is a made-up word. With that said, it’s a great Savannah word. For example, “the Krispy Kreme donut shop usta be on Skidaway, just down from where Larry’s Restaurant usta be.” Like I said, usta is a great Savannah word.
My brother David is a big fan of Johnny Harris BBQ sauce so when I saw someone at the Forsyth Farmers Market wearing a Johnny Harris BBQ T-shirt I decided to get one and send it to him in Alaska. And being a bit of a connoisseur of hand painted advertising signs you can imagine how happy I was to see one when I stopped by the Johnny Harris Sauce plant and giftshop (who knew?). This is in fact where the sauce, not sausage, is made.
The shop’s right across from Aldi’s, which is where Johnny Harris’s Restaurant USTA be … or more correctly where the Johnny Harris Restaurant petting zoo USTA be. Turns out that in 1937 Mr. Harris created a small zoo behind the restaurant, featuring monkeys, exotic birds and other animals. It closed in 1947, five years before I was born. (We’ll be talking more about the ‘zoos’ that USTA be in Savannah sometime soon).
Johnny Harris’s was legendary in my family for three reasons. First, my parents dated there. Second, my brother and I were very impressed with the all-you-could-eat bread and killer cheese spread, not to mention the fried chicken that brother David would then slather in, yes, that’s right, Johnny Harris world famous BBQ sauce. Third, I USTA do a lot of business there when I was coordinator of Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy.
A table at Johnny Harris’s was 11 minutes from my office, downtown on East York Street, thanks to the Truman Parkway.
For those of you that are new to Savannah, let me offer a suggestion about how to learn more about this fabled spot. Go to this Savannah-centric Facebook group and pose a question like this “I’m new to Savannah and I’ve heard that Johnny Harris’s BBQ sauce has quite a history. What makes it wonderful to you?” and get ready for some stories. Or better yet, go by the sauce plant’s giftshop at 2801 Wicklow St. and pick up a copy of The Johnny Harris cookbook. It’s a 100 year look at a certain slice of Savannah life, and the Black-Eyed Pea Soup recipe is easy and good!
As I mentioned I’ve always had an eye for advertising art of all kinds. Might be from my father, who was a business owner/salesman that would sometimes bring an advertising poster home from business trips. Or it could be from hearing about Uncle Harold, who owned an advertising firm in New York. He was a legend in the family because, after being drafted by the Yankees, his family dissuaded him from playing, as playing major league baseball USTA ‘not be good enough’ for a Jewish boy, or that’s what I was told that he was told. So, from baseball to billing advertising clients … and back to the hand painted wall.
Savannah, especially North of Victory Drive, USTA be covered with hand painted signs…of BBQ joints, bars, barbershops and more. Check out some of them at North Of Victory: Savannah’s Soulful Signage – The Savannah Tribune.
Here are a few images to wet your appetite for the next installment of Born and Stayed where we’ll keep looking at some hand painted signs and sign painters that USTA be part of the North of Victory commercial landscape.
Oh, here’s a pic of bro Dave, freaking the pig out, with his Johnny Harris BBQ shirt on.
And a picture of where Brother Dave and I go whenever he’s back in town
We always tell the owners, who are the grandchildren of Red Donaldson, who started as a dishwasher in 1927 and grew himself and the business up from there, that David flew all the way from Alaska for some fried chicken … which he will slather with Johnny Harris BBQ sauce, just like he did 60 years ago. Boy, does time fly …
About the author
Tom Kohler has lived in Savannah for 71 of his 73 years. He attended our local public schools, Armstrong and the University of Georgia. He was educated at Jim Collins Bar. The founder and longtime coordinator of Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy has been involved in creating a variety of civic organizations thru the years including the Jim Collins Bar Alumni Association, Savannah Rocks!, and Emergent Savannah.
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