&uot;Tommy!&uot; yells a couple of enthusiastic arm-waving men riding by in a pickup. Tommy Byrd turns to wave, and then resumes grilling.

Every Friday you can find Byrd grilling outside his business, the T&C Quick Mart on the corner of Aldrich and Martin Luther King Jr. Streets. For Byrd, Fridays are a haze of loyal customers driving in and out from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to get their share of his fresh barbecue.

Grilling outside his convenience store/gas station started with a customer’s suggestion about three months ago.

&uot;I started with a little bitty grill,&uot; Byrd said.

The demand for his barbecue has grown so much that Byrd has moved up to a full-size standing grill. He cooks ribs, pork chops, hamburgers, garlic and beef sausages. As for the taste, well, customers like Larry Green say, &uot;I wish he would barbecue every day.&uot;

Despite the increase in profits from the Friday grilling idea, the long, hot days are accompanied by some real unsavory conditions. For example, Byrd has to stand at the grill for hours on end, hot grease inevitably splashes on his skin and more often than not, smoke billows in his face.

Byrd manages, however, to keep smiling. This is what keeps customers coming back. Its part of Byrd’s business strategy &045;&045; he remembers each customer’s name and their favorite barbecue selection.

&uot;You talk to them, get to know what they like,&uot; Byrd said.

It may sound simple, but this is how great businesses are born.

Byrd not only taps into his customer’s sense of smell and taste, rather, he taps into their sense of community. Barbecuing outside your business may not be the most novel idea, but it has brought people together, and this is what makes a community.

Less and less do we actually see the owner of the stores we patronize. If and when we do see them, do they recognize us? Do they make a mental note of not just our names but our likes and dislikes?

In this age of fast food chains and ATMs, Tommy Byrd’s business is like a lost treasure found.