OCALA, Fla. — During a busy Saturday lunch rush at Big Lee’s, Rashad Jones noticed that a customer wasn’t matching his upbeat energy.
The woman told him her father was in hospice and had requested a pulled pork sandwich, two orders of fries and coleslaw from the Ocala barbecue restaurant.
Jones said he covered the order. Later, he called to offer encouragement and volunteered to provide food for her father’s celebration of life.
“It was a super humbling experience to realize that someone in their final moments on this earth desired our food above anything else,” Jones said in written responses to Channel 9.
For the owner and founder of Big Lee’s Serious About Barbecue, those conversations are central to the business. They have also become the foundation of videos introducing the restaurant to people far beyond Marion County.
A Thanksgiving meal sparked the business
Jones traces his interest in barbecue to Thanksgiving 2011 at his wife’s uncle’s home in Greenwood, Mississippi.
Leon Archie, known as “Big Lee,” served a meal that left Jones thinking as much about the hospitality as the food.
Encouraged by his wife, Jones began cooking in his backyard every weekend. After improving his skills and winning a barbecue competition, he launched his first trailer under the Big Lee’s name.
Archie died before seeing what his inspiration would become.
“Because of this, my entire hospitality model at Big Lee’s is all about customer interaction,” Jones said.
He wants visiting the restaurant or a food truck to feel like reconnecting with an old friend.
Turning everyday interactions into videos
Jones said his videographer, Derreck Vazquez, records him interacting naturally with customers.
“Nothing is staged or scripted,” Jones said.
He describes the approach as “Presence-First” content, documenting the conversations already happening rather than building scenes around a script.
Jones, who has also appeared on Food Network programs, estimates that more than 90% of his customers now discover the business online. That estimate covers online discovery broadly, rather than TikTok alone. His television appearances include “BBQ Brawl” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” according to his business biography.
He said customers have come from places including Germany, the United Kingdom, Guam and Alaska.
Jones credits TikTok as a major contributor to the business’s growth. He reported strong double-digit annual gross revenue growth and more than 1,000 applications for a recent team-member opening, though he did not provide financial records or application data with his responses.
To understand where customers come from, he asks people in line and reviews geographic audience information in TikTok’s creator dashboard.
What the Florida research says
Jones is among the business owners featured in a 2026 economic impact report prepared by research consultancy PF Global and commissioned by TikTok.
The report estimates that business activity supported by the platform contributed $4.9 billion to Florida’s economy and supported 29,000 jobs in 2025.
Among Florida businesses using TikTok, 84% said it increased sales and 80% said they had sold out of a product after promoting it there.
Those are survey findings and economic estimates from company-commissioned research. They do not independently establish how much of Big Lee’s growth came from TikTok.
PF Global’s methodology says it combined economic analysis with independently recruited consumer and business surveys.
Keeping Thanksgiving focused on connection
With Thanksgiving approaching, Jones’ favorite tradition happens near the end of the meal: asking his wife, children and parents what they are grateful for.
His advice to home cooks is to prepare early, delegate side dishes and consider ordering a turkey or ham if it makes the day easier.
“Your family is looking forward to the food, but more importantly, to connection and memories,” he said.
Big Lee’s is located at 2611 SW 19th Avenue Road, Suite 100, in Ocala.
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