PETA protest squeals into SC barbecue restaurant to confused Rock Hill response
A cacophony of squealing pigs greeted perplexed — and sometimes indignant — diners outside a Rock Hill barbecue joint on Thursday.
The sounds blared from the stereo of a nearby transport truck adorned with life-size decals of caged pigs. The truck, dubbed “Hell on Wheels,” stopped at The Dixie Pig off Celanese Road for the first leg of a national tour with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal welfare group known for dramatic protest spectacles.
They plan to hit 42 cities in two months.
PETA activists said they hoped patrons who encounter Hell on Wheels will think twice before eating meat.
“We’re confronting consumers for maybe even the first time with images and sounds they’ve never seen before, never thought about what happens to pigs before they end up on plates,” said Marnie Chambless, the lead tour administrator and one of two demonstrators outside The Dixie Pig.
That message didn’t seem to land.
“It’s cool,” said customer Dean Martin, who mistook the display as an advertisement from the restaurant to convey that it sold barbecue.
Upon further scrutiny, Martin said PETA’s pro-vegan message was “not clear.”
Fort Mill councilman Chris Moody, a barbecue lover who plans to launch a review blog, saw the truck circulating on social media and drove out to see the “unusually bizarre” demonstration for himself. He thought it was a joke, he said.
He had a few questions: What’s Hell on Wheels? Is it another barbecue company? What’s the message? To avoid barbecue?
“I guess this is a protest or something,” Moody concluded. “It wouldn’t stop me from eating it.”
Most patrons declined to comment or preferred not to be named.
From inside the restaurant, a group of women gathered around the window as the truck pulled in. They began a brief chant of “eat more pigs” and said they weren’t really sure what was happening.
When told PETA was behind the truck, one said, “I’m still gonna eat my pigs, and I’m still gonna eat my cows, and I really don’t care.”
The Dixie Pig owner Paul Pflug caught wind of the protest yesterday and posted a message to the popular Facebook group Rock Hill Eats. He encouraged locals to show their support for his business and neutralize PETA’s presence.
They did.
Business was slightly up on Thursday, Pflug said. Most, if not all, tables were occupied.
A handful of patrons showed visible disgust for the demonstration with grimaces, horn honking, curse words and the occasional middle finger.
“Ya’ll are a disgrace. You’re on private property, so get off it,” a customer who identified herself as Sandra said, mistaking journalists from The Herald as demonstrators. “This is a small town. As you can see, they’re packed … We come out in force to support our businesses.”
Hell on Wheels visited 17 Rock Hill locations in total on Thursday. The truck will next head to Spartanburg and Greenville on Friday, followed by Simpsonville and Anderson on Saturday.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
