Restaurant Report Card: Best UGA tailgate food

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Restaurant Report Card rolled into Athens for a Georgia football game day, looking for the best tailgate food in town, and we found some great spots.

We’re going to kick it off at Dawg Gone Good BBQ. It’s located downtown on West Hancock Avenue and is family-owned and operated. They have been in business for 16 years, and when you step inside, you’re going to like the fact that everything on that menu is pretty much under $15. And get this — you can try it before you buy it!

You also have owner BJ out on the smoker, who has been doing this for many years. He’s a great cook, but he’s also a diehard Dawg, and he has his own song that he has written called “Bulldog City.”

Another fan favorite on gameday is Raising Cane’s on Baxter Street. They’re known for their delicious chicken fingers and secret dipping sauce. Plus, you can grab and go at the drive-thru!

Raising Cane’s is often considered the No. 1 spot to pick up chicken for your tailgate party. They earned a 98 on their most recent health inspection.

The chicken staple serves about 6,000 customers on a game day in Athens. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton is a fan and has his photograph on the wall in the restaurant. The restaurant sign out front says it all — you might want to grab some “Canes for your Brain” before the Dawgs take the field.

And just up the road, another popular place for tailgate food is Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Foods on East Broad Street. Owner Dexter Weaver has been cooking up soul food at its finest for nearly four decades.

“It’s delicious, they say you can even eat it cold,” Weaver said. “Thirty-nine years and we are nine months away from 40 years.”

Customers flock to the restaurant for its fried chicken, pork chops, collard greens and homemade macaroni and cheese. It’s the perfect game day spread. Plus, a health inspection on the wall shows a score of 98.

“Go Dawgs! This is it right here,” a Weaver D’s Customer said.

“It’s super, just like those Bulldogs over there at UGA. When you come to Athens, and you come to a game, this is a perfect place to come. Weaver D’s, the best fried chicken in Athens,” another Weaver D’s customer said.

Weaver D’s slogan is “Automatic for the People,” meaning ready, quick and efficient. That motto got the attention of local rock band and Grammy winner R.E.M., who have dined at the restaurant and named their eighth album in the 90’s “Automatic for the People.”

Going back to Dawg Gone Good BBQ in the heart of Downtown Athens, the restaurant earned a 95 on its last health inspection.

Here’s what you can get for your tailgate:

• The pulled chicken sandwich plate with squash casserole and green beans
• The big bite with sausage, macaroni and cheese, spinach, coleslaw and pulled pork with a side of potato salad
• A pulled pork sandwich with collard greens and macaroni and cheese
• The rib plate, baby backs loaded with baked beans and coleslaw

“It’s time to let the big Dawg eat,” Reporter Adam Murphy said. “Boy, that’s good!”