by TM Petaccia

When Wynn Davis, Hall Johnston, and partners opened the first Mac’s Speed Shop in 2005, they weren’t restaurateurs. They were a group of friends who loved motorcycles, music, and a good time. The vacant auto shop in the days before the downtrodden South Boulevard became “South End” didn’t seem like the obvious place to build a regional barbecue empire. Twenty years later, that’s exactly what they did.

“We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” Davis, now managing partner, says. “They had this building and were going to put a bank here or something like that, and we said, ‘Why don’t we take this and make this something?'”

Mac’s was meant to be a biker bar. Serving food wasn’t part of the plan. But a chance conversation with a biker friend who ran a fine dining restaurant changed everything. “He says, ‘I’ve got a guy in my kitchen who’s been dying to do something casual. He’s got all these family barbecue recipes,'” Davis says. “So we just said, ‘Okay.'”

There was no real business plan, just a group of friends pooling money and trusting their instincts. The result was a place where smoked brisket and pork met craft beer and cocktails, and barbecue met nightlife. “Most barbecue joints then were red-and-white tablecloths and sweet tea,” Davis says. “You got in, you got your meal, and got out. We added live music, TVs, a bar, and made it fun. People came for the food but stayed for the vibe.”

Within a few years, Mac’s opened a second location on Lake Norman, then a third in Steele Creek. “We had a friend in real estate who brought us the Lake Norman spot,” Davis says. “It had been five restaurants before us, all went out of business. But we said, ‘This is perfect.'”

From there, expansion was steady but thoughtful. Some locations were built from scratch, others reimagined from older buildings. “That’s part of the magic of Mac’s,” says Tony Salerno, President of Mac’s Hospitality Group. “Every location feels different because every community is different. Each one has a its own personality. It’s not cookie-cutter.”

That variety reflects the duo’s approach to growth. “We don’t have a real estate guy going out and saying, ‘You need to be in this or that shopping center,'” Davis says. “We like standalone buildings. We love to revitalize a building. They tend to be more pain and cost more, but when it’s done, it’s got more character.”

Today, Mac’s operates nine locations across the Carolinas, with a tenth slated to open in Fort Mill in spring 2026. “We’re excited about this one,” Davis says. “It’s going to be a new build.”

Though barbecue remains the foundation, the menu at Mac’s has evolved over the years to reflect expanded demand. “Barbecue is always our core,” Salerno says. “We smoke our brisket and pulled pork overnight for 14 to 16 hours, and then during the day we smoke our ribs, wings, and chicken. Because we’ve got TVs, entertainment, and a big bar scene, we wanted a broader menu. Burgers, salads, and handhelds have been really strong.”

Under culinary director Charles Long, the menu now features seasonal specials and a rotating “Burger of the Month.” Long, Salerno says, can often be found experimenting with new smoking techniques or preparing a whole hog for an upcoming event. “He’s up at the office right now smoking a pig,” Salerno says during the interview.

Mac’s’ reputation for innovation has helped it navigate challenges like the pandemic. “COVID forced us to simplify, then rebuild smartly,” Salerno says. “A lot of the menu got cut back. Then we started to expand it a bit further. We’ve been playing with the right number of menu items it is today.”

To mark two decades in business, Mac’s is doing what it does best: combining community, live music, and barbecue with a Pig Pickin’ at the original South End location in collaboration with the organizers of the Carolina BBQ Festival. The event centers around a smoked whole hog by Long, with contributions from area noted pitmasters Garren Kirkman, Jon G’s Barbecue (brisket); Matthew Barry, Midwood Smokehouse (pig wings); and Lewis Donald, Sweet Lew’s BBQ (smoked oysters). Click here for details and tickets.

“We’ve been going to barbecue festivals for years in places like Memphis,” Davis says pointing to a wall full of competition trophies. “We went to the Carolina Barbecue Festival last year and it was such a good time, we started having conversation with Lewis and I said, ‘How about we throw it at the original Mac’s in South Boulevard and bring these legendary pitmasters together and just have a great day?'”

Along with the Pig Pickin’ will be a Panthers watch party. “It’s going to be a very active building on Sunday,” Salerno says. “We’ll have the game on, the pig pickin’ outside, and great beer from our partners at Adam’s Beverage. It’ll be one big celebration.”

In 2005, South End was gritty and quiet — far from the trendy urban district it is now. For Davis, watching the transformation is a sign to not to get complacent. “There’s a lot of places to choose from now,” he says. “So we’ve got to really keep our head down, moving forward.”

That means focusing as much on service as on the food. “You can have okay food, but if the service is bad, it’s over,” Salerno says. We’re going to stay focused on the core products we’re doing and make sure we’re continuing to challenge ourselves to be better.”

Despite its growth, Mac’s has kept its original spirit intact. The biker crowd may have faded some, but not completely, over the years, replaced by car shows, Jeep nights, business lunches, and families grabbing pulled pork sandwiches after soccer practice. But the sense of camaraderie remains. “From day one, you’d see a biker sitting next to baby and a grandmother sitting next to a banker,” Davis says.

“It just worked. There’s an energy here that brings people together.”