In 2023, Jeff Roy’s small business was threatened with legal action from a neighbor who claimed that the smoke coming from his neighborhood smokehouse was encroaching on her property and negatively impacting her health. Despite the financial stress and legal fees caused by the lawsuit, Roy has seen a positive impact on his business, Roy Meat Service. The increased demand has led him to have to use two smokers to keep up with orders.
The lawsuit garnered attention on social media, in the press, and among locals who rallied behind Roy, seeing it as a threat to Nashville’s small-town charm. Despite his efforts to negotiate with the neighbor and make changes, Roy said that she stopped responding, and her lawyer declined to comment. However, he has no plans to stop operating unless a judge orders him to do so. The court date is set for May 24 for a motion filed by the neighbor’s lawyer to pause the case for four months due to scheduling issues.
Roy believes that if the neighbor had left things alone, there would have been less smoke, fewer disturbances, and fewer cars parked in front of her house. He attributes the significant increase in business since the lawsuit was filed directly to the attention it received. As he continues operating his smokehouse, he plans to be more careful about where he places his grills in order to avoid similar issues in the future.
