Quality meats and seafood with a personal touch were what Hayden and Maddie Chavers were striving to offer their customers when they opened the doors to Big Daddy’s Meats & More in January. 

Hayden is a Jonesboro native and Valley View High School graduate, and Maddie is originally from Cabot but moved to Jonesboro in 2016 to attend Arkansas State University. With a 1-year-old son, Ellis, and a baby on the way, the couple loves to entertain and wanted to create a more specialized destination for Jonesboro’s meat and seafood needs. 

“We always have friends and family over, and cooking for them is one of our favorite things to do,” said Maddie. “We always struggled to find somewhere to find high quality meat, so we decided to open one ourselves. There are grocery stores with meat departments, of course, but we were looking for something more personal.”

Conveniently located on Southwest Drive and named after an inside joke with Hayden’s friends, Big Daddy’s Meats & More is hoping to implement that personal touch and neighborhood feel in all aspects of the business.

“Hayden’s buddies have called him ‘Big Daddy Chav’ for years,” said Maddie. “It started out as a joke between some friends, but as the dream and ideas started to become a reality, we thought it was a pretty fun name for a meat shop and something to hopefully catch people’s attention.”

The shop offers a wide variety of prime and choice beef cuts available, including brisket, sirloin, New York strip, ribeye, filet, bacon-wrapped filet, bone-in ribeye, T-bone, tri-tip, bottom round, stew meat, stir fry meat, chuck roast, chuck eye, short ribs, steak kabobs, shoulder roast, picanha steak, Denver steak, flat iron steak and ground beef. Grass-fed options are available cut to order, along with grass-fed organic ribeye, New York strip and filet. The available cuts of pork are varied, as well, and include baby back ribs, St. Louis ribs, country ribs, spareribs, boneless pork loin ribs, pork loin, pork kabobs, pork stew meat, pork butt, pork belly, pork fat, boneless pork chops, bone-in pork chops, bacon-wrapped pork chops, bacon, boneless pork steaks and bone-in pork steaks. Chicken breasts, thighs, wings, legs, kabobs, feet and whole chicken are kept in stock, along with salmon, frozen catfish, lobster tails, red fish, crab legs, alligator, shrimp and crawfish tails. From specialty cuts to exotic meats, Big Daddy’s is also able to fulfill custom requests.

“Our number one best seller has been beef ribeye, by far,” said Hayden. “A close second would be our beef filet. Some of our other best-selling items would be our bacon-wrapped stuffed chicken breasts and jalapeno poppers, which have both been highly rated by customers.” 

Big Daddy’s customers have praised the quality and selection of the meats and keep coming back for more.

“From the moment you walk into Big Daddy’s Meats & More, you’re greeted with a friendly smile that makes you feel welcome,” said Anna Leigh Johnson. “My husband, Grant, and I love the small-town atmosphere and the convenience. For our usual orders, Grant prefers a ribeye, while I happily choose salmon or a filet. We love being able to grab meat and sides to complete a meal and be in and out within minutes. 

“Jonesboro needed a place like this for custom orders, unique options and high-quality fresh meats. We are always extremely pleased with both the service and the food. Big Daddy’s is a weekly stop for our household.”

The Loebach family has also made a stop by Big Daddy’s part of their weekly meal planning. Nick and Jordan prioritize supporting locally-owned businesses, and they love how easy it makes it to spend quality time with their three children.

“Big Daddy’s Meats & More has become a staple for our family,” said Jordan. “We love the quality of their meats, especially the steaks, kabobs and burgers. We pick up fresh ground beef almost every week, and their convenient location on Southwest Drive makes it easy to stop in. 

“As a busy family, those nights gathered around the table enjoying a great meal at home are priceless, and we love supporting a local family-owned business that helps make those moments possible.”

Hayden and Maddie want to make the entire experience something that makes their customers’ lives easier, so as their customer base grows, so do Big Daddy’s offerings.

“We sell pretty much anything you could think of,” said Maddie. “We offer beef, pork, chicken, seafood, ready-to-eat or take-and-make snacks and sides such as chicken salad, pimento cheese, jalapeño poppers, bacon-wrapped veggies. We also carry some exotic meats such as bison, elk and alligator. We have lots of options for seasonings and other grilling essentials like pellets and charcoal.”

The butcher shop’s owners say the Jonesboro community has been amazing and supportive of their new venture.

“We have been overwhelmed with the amount of support and positive feedback we have received,” said Maddie. “We have lots of regular customers and hope to continue to earn the business of others who haven’t tried us out yet.

“Getting to talk with and build relationships with people in the community has been so fun. Seeing all of the yummy and interesting things that people have made with our meats has also been really cool.”

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve the Jonesboro community and hope that you will trust us with your next meal or event,” added Hayden. “We believe great meals bring people together, and we’re committed to helping our customers create memorable moments around the table.”

Big Daddy’s Meats & More, located at 444 Southwest Dr., is open Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (870) 206-7011 or find the store on Facebook.