By: Shayla Terry

Giles Bryan and Sandy Smith built a friendship at Brantley High School. Today, their dreams and friendship are the basis for their new restaurant in Brantley, B.A.G.S. Barbeque, Seafood and Grill.

“We were sitting around, and thought ‘Oh God tomorrow is Monday,’” Smith said.

“Someone suggested that we open up a restaurant, so we started looking for land.”

Located on Highway 331 just outside of Brantley, B.A.G.S. opened in mid-December to great reviews and a continuous dinner crowd.

“It’s been really decent,” Smith said.

“It gets better every day.”

B.A.G.S. is a family affair. Smith’s wife, Brandy, and Bryan’s wife, Angie, also own the restaurant. Together, their names form the acronym B.A.G.S.

“We all have a little bit of a specialty,” Smith said.

“I like the seafood, Giles does the barbeque, and our wives do a little of everything in between.”

Angie Giles, a Texas native, adds her flare to the menu with the addition of pork nachos and the pork burrito. The restaurant also operates a full ice cream station, and sells shrimp and oysters in bulk.

The dining room at B.A.G.S. currently seats about 30 people, but Smith looks to the future for growth.

“Our main goal now is to grow, so that we can get a bigger building,” he said.

“I would love to triple our seating in the next year,”

B.A.G.S. is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, and closed on Mondays and Wednesdays. They are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the remainder of the week.

“We’re family owned, and we’re going to be friendly,” Smith said.

“You’re going to get good food. If not, we’ll fix it.”

Phone orders for B.A.G.S. can be placed at (334)634-0080.