Bill and India Dickinson
BEACH BUMS BARBECUE
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by SUSAN DELOACH
India and Bill Dickinson’s world turned upside down in November 2020 when a portion of their home caught fire. But a family built on love and ambition used what many would see as a detrimental moment in life to rise from the ashes literally. Fate, faith, and a love of cooking led the parents of five to start a business that has already made a name for itself in only two short months.
India met her husband, Bill, at a fall festival in 2008. At the time, Bill was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, and India balanced three jobs. The two hit it off and were married a year later. They created a blended family of four children (Grant, Briana, Izzy, and Bay), and together added their fifth child, Sophia.
The family moved into their home, but things did not go as smoothly as anticipated. Their daughter Sophia became sick, and the family began making frequent doctor visits. “There wasn’t a day that went by where we didn’t give her some sort of medicine. The doctors would prescribe her breathing treatments, and finally, they asked, ‘What is going on in the home?’” The Dickinsons had been remodeling their house and had discovered black mold. A specialist was called in and determined that it was explicitly toxic black mold, ultimately making Sophia sick. Unfortunately, the family had put so much money into remodeling, they could not just pick up and move.
In 2011, while Bill was deployed to Afghanistan, a friend from church nominated them for the TV show “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.” To their complete surprise, they won! In one week, a crew and dozens of volunteers built a dream home for their family of seven. The family settled in, and Sophia’s health improved.
Bill served a total of 20 years in the Marine Corps and after that began a career at General Electric. Life moved on until an unforgettable night on November 20, 2020.
The family’s three dogs began to bark in the middle of the night, waking the family. When they got up to see what the commotion was, they realized their dining room was engulfed in flames. The family got out of the house as quickly as possible and waited for help to arrive. Shocked, India was grateful for their beloved pets. “The alarms didn’t even go off for five to seven minutes. Our dogs saved our lives.”
The fire department contained the fire as quickly as possible, but not before destroying much of the house. It would take months of renovating, endless paperwork, and back and forth with insurance agents until their home would be livable once again. In the meantime, the Dickinsons had to find somewhere else to live. There was just one problem. One of their beloved dogs was a German Sheppard named Vander. Many rental homes would not allow the breed, so the Dickinsons began calling anywhere they could find that would accept all of their pets. Finally, they contacted a rental house on Fripp Island that allowed pets, including Vander, and the Dickinsons moved in.
On their new daily commute, Bill and India would drive by an empty building with a ‘For Rent’ sign, and the wheels started spinning in Bill’s mind. They both realized there was a need for a restaurant in that area. A fantastic cook, Bill dreamed of one day owning his own barbecue restaurant. What if this location could turn Bill’s dreams into a reality? He suggested leasing the building and turning it into a food establishment.
However, India wasn’t without reservations. “I am not sure anyone in their right mind would open a restaurant during a pandemic. But where God leads, we will follow.” As Christians, the two decided to pray about it, and over time the answer became clear. They were going to take a leap of faith. Bill believed this was what he was called to do. “God blessed me with a talent, and now I get to feed people.”
They had just enough money in their retirement to get started. They leased the location directly in front of JCT’s on St. Helena Island and began to transform the building into Beach Bums Barbecue, hoping to open in March 2021. “There was so much to do,” India explains. They replaced the counter tops, renovated the deck and restrooms, put in a new back splash, created signs, and more. They soon discovered that their planned opening date of March was not going to work.
Finally, on July 17, 2021, Beach Bums Barbecue opened its doors to the public. Although incredibly nervous for the opening, Beach Bums took off in popularity with the locals and tourists. “Beaufort has shown up. They are always so good to us.”
Before the restaurant opens its doors in the morning, meat has been turning in the smokehouse since seven a.m. The pulled pork is cooked 10-12 hours the day before to ensure the meat is tender, and the cheesy macaroni has been prepared in the slow cooker. The baked beans are a staple favorite of guests; their secret is the maple syrup that comes straight from a sugar shack. India’s excitement comes through easily when discussing Bill’s food. “We make everything fresh, and we make the food for one day, so once it’s gone, it’s gone, and our daily numbers of customers keep increasing.”
Due to the rapid growth in popularity, the restaurant added several new options, including delivery. They are now delivering to south of Harbor Bridge, including Fripp Island, Harbor Island, Hunting Island State Park, and the campground. They offer lunch box meals, cater to parties, and have prepared family meals for a quick grab and go. The family has tried to make it as convenient as possible for those interested in ordering in advance. They have recently added an online feature for placing to-go orders. Customers placing orders in advance don’t have to worry, India explains, “Advanced orders are secured.”
But the restaurant doesn’t just stop at barbecue. Needing a dessert? They have plenty. Their dessert room has over 20 flavors of Hawaiian Ice and a plethora of ice cream choices, complete with various toppings. Beach Bums even installed a walk-up window, so customers could just grab their sweet treat before heading on their way.
Beach Bums is a family business at its heart. “Bill does all the cooking” while India works more in the main part of the restaurant. Although away in college, Izzy and Bay often return to help serve customers. Sophia runs the dessert room, and even their young grandson, Roman, wipes down tables. India smiles. “We give him $2 for every table he cleans, and he takes so much pride in it.”
Even though Beach Bums has only been open a short time, there is already interest in expanding. “We get asked about our sauces daily and if we can ship them. My grandfather, Pastor Claude Thompson, created the original recipe. Bill has since tweaked it. We then added three more flavors. Right now, shipping is causing some logistic issues, but we’ll see in the future.” In addition, they are planning to add a custom car for deliveries and just began opening for breakfast at 5:30 a.m. “We actually planned to close for the season on September 1, but we have such a supportive community that we are staying open for them.”
The Dickinsons see this restaurant as a blessing, and India wanted to do more for the community. “We’ve been praying hard and trying to figure out how we can bless others. It’s been eating at my heart that we aren’t doing enough, so on Mondays, we have volunteers come to Beach Bums and help deliver food to those in need. Although we will be at the restaurant on Mondays, we will only be cooking for those in need.”
When the Dickinsons look back at their whirlwind of a year, they don’t focus on the negatives. They see the opportunities through their storms as signs from the Lord. The family’s home will be ready to move back into later this year, but they have used their faith to guide them in their choices. “Without the fire, we would have never seen the building.”
