Fayetteville's 'Flip Flop Sauce' goes from backyard cookouts to national shelves

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- What started as a homemade condiment for community cookouts has transformed into a nationally recognized barbecue sauce brand, proving that sometimes the best business ideas come from the simplest moments.

Carl Pringle never set out to build a barbecue sauce empire. Raised with a deep appreciation for family cookouts, Pringle simply wanted to create a signature sauce for the community gatherings he had been hosting in Fayetteville for years. The result was Flip Flop Sauce, a product that has now landed on supermarket shelves across the region and earned national television attention.

The sauce's unusual name has an equally unusual origin story. When someone at one of his cookouts asked what the sauce was called, Pringle looked down at his feet and made a spontaneous decision.

"I looked down, I had flip flops on. I said, we call it flip flop sauce. So good you put flip flops on," Pringle recalled. "And it stuck."

The name also carries a more deliberate meaning. The sauce is designed to be sweet on the front end with a spicy kick on the back, creating what Pringle calls a "flip and flop" effect. He markets it as "the everything sauce," suitable for multiple dishes and cooking styles.

Pringle's creation has gained significant momentum in recent months. The sauce competed in a barbecue competition on the nationally syndicated "Tamron Hall" show, where host Tamron Hall introduced Pringle and his Fayetteville-born product to a nationwide audience. Flip Flop Sauce is now available at Food Lion and Lowes Foods stores, as well as through Amazon and Walmart.

But for Pringle, business success is merely a tool to amplify his real passion: feeding his community. He has made fighting hunger in Fayetteville a central mission, regularly hosting free community cookouts where he grills food for anyone in need.

"My motto is nobody goes hungry if I can help it," Pringle said. "I just love bringing people together. At a time when negative always gets the forefront, I wanted to promote the positive."

For Pringle, the reward isn't measured in bottles sold or stores stocked. It's found in the faces of the people he serves at his community gatherings.

"When I can grill something up, and I can see someone smile, it gives me purpose," he said. "I know I was able to do something to help them."

The Fayetteville cookout regular has become North Carolina's newest culinary success story, building a brand on the twin foundations of good flavor and community compassion.

More North Carolina Made

NC artist turns state pride into watercolor and digital art

Jibreel Haseeb carries on family legacy with Raleigh's Jinsa Essentials