The original restaurant known as “Fatboys†opened in 1973 by former Florida Gator player and then current Vero
Beach High School football coach Lawrin Giannamore. It was Vero Beach’s first restaurant dedicated to barbeque
with an indoor smoker. The original oak hardwood smoker and all its flavors are still in use in the kitchen today.
The basted and slow-smoked barbeque pork, beef, chicken and ribs quickly became a Vero Beach staple.
The “Fatboys†chain spread throughout Florida. “Coachâ€, as he was known to all in Vero Beach, opened a second
location off State Road 60 on Vero’s west side in the early 1980’s. The restaurants became a second home to many
and in 1986 the Friday night pre-game meal location for our beloved Vero Beach Fighting Indian football team
under the direction of local legend Billy Livings. Billy and “Coach†became fast friends and their numerous stories
and tales grew over the next twenty plus years.