There is a new smell coming through the streets of downtown Elizabethton. It is a barbecue and everyone is invited.

After months of hurdles to cross, Big Dan’s BBQ completed its migration from TN-91 to Downtown Elizabethton.

Julz Roberts, sister of owner Dan Roberts, said they are ecstatic to finally be open at their new location.

“We are proud of this new space,” Roberts said.

Big Dan’s originally sat on Highway 91, serving the Stoney Creek area for a number of years. Last fall, however, they said they started considering moving to a location where they could be more accessible to the entire community.

“We loved Stoney Creek,” she said. “Dan lives in West End, so this was also more accessible for him.”

When the restaurant opened at 11 a.m. Wednesday, old and new customers poured into the former Covered Bridge Cafe on 633 East Elk Avenue. She said they were not sure how busy they would be on their first day.

“It was a relief for Dan,” she said.

She said the level of support from the community, especially other downtown merchants, has really helped them out on their first day.

“The merchants have really supported us. Most of them have placed orders with us since we opened today,” she said.

Big Dan’s has been working on the move to downtown Elizabethton for several months but kept running into hurdles since their initial plans last fall. In particular, even after securing the new property, they had to remain open at their original location until last Saturday, and that was only after a lot of remodeling in their new location to get it ready.

“We had a few hurdles, but we have been handling them one at a time,” Roberts said. “We are really happy with the results.”

She said their business brings a unique kind of food to the area and said they compliment the local pizza places like Jiggy Ray’s.

“They have not really had a BBQ place before,” she said.

As the line continued to lengthen once again, however, she said their new involvement in the Elizabethton community is what makes the move worth it.

“We love the car show and seeing the community’s support for us,” Roberts said.