It’s been voted one of the best barbecue restaurants in the country and known as a local mainstay for perfect barbecue. Entertainers would step in Jacksonville and request Jenkins Barbecue be on their riders. Those days are now on a limited timeline as the restaurant that has served the city for nearly seven decades prepares to close its doors.
For generations, the smell of smoked chicken and ribs has drawn people into Jenkins Quality Barbecue. But the Jenkins family have said they’re turning off their for good.
For many longtime customers, Jenkins is more than just a barbecue restaurant — it’s a tradition. The news of its closure quickly spread across the country that will leave foodies everywhere saddened and disappointed. In 2023, Jenkins Quality Barbecue was named the best barbecue joint in Florida by the Food Network.
According to a Facebook post, the beloved restaurant will close its three locations at the end of the month due to “rising costs of food and labor, shifting consumer trends and chain issues.”
“After 68 years of serving our Jacksonville community, we look back not with heaviness, but with our hearts brimming with gratitude. From all of us, we thank you. We appreciate your loyalty over the years, and we will miss you!” the restaurant wrote.
The business was founded in 1957 by Melton Jenkins Jr. and his wife, Willie Mae. It is considered one of the oldest Black family-owned restaurants in Jacksonville.
The Jenkins family will also be closing down their barbecue sauce online shop, and they asked customers to place their last orders for pint size bottles of the sauce by the end of the day on Sept. 21.
While the family may be closing its doors, its legacy will continue to leave a mark on Jacksonville. Decades of memories will remain in the minds of people who faithfully picked up the heavy packages of ribs and chicken sandwiches wrapped in the signature red paper and handed over in brown bags. Rarely is the line not wrapped around the building. You could also buy the latest edition of the Free Press to enjoy with your meal.
Those with gift cards are asked to use them by Sept. 30.
In the wake of a shaky economy and political upsets, the consistency of culinary staples is something local people and beyond appreciated and relied upon for a sense of normalcy.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Dr. Seth Crapp, a former Jacksonville resident who always made a Jenkins stop on return visits, “It’s just unfortunate. I hate when historic institutions close down.”