Originally opened in 1998 as The Grill Store & More, an actual brick and mortar store, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, owners Michael and Ladina Hackley started the business from scratch and worked it for the first year by themselves 7 days a week. By 2000, the business had expanded to two stores in Baton Rouge, and a franchise location in New Orleans. They were still looking to expand so looked to the internet for added revenues. They launched their first website, www.thegrillstoreandmore.com, in 2001 with 7000 products. This was followed shortly thereafter with www.bbqguys.com with a full color catalog that corresponded to the site. They quickly became one of the leading websites of outdoor cooking products.