Popular BBQ Restaurant Chains That Went From Sizzling To Shuttered

Few things evoke as much passion among American foodies as discussing where to find the best local barbecue. We're talking brisket, barbecue baby back ribs, pulled pork, cornbread, and – for those in the South – lots of iced cold sweet tea to wash it all down. But what happens when everyone's favorite neighborhood barbecue chain closes its doors for good?

For some fans, finding good barbecue means finding a restaurant that does it low and slow. For others, it's all about the lip-smacking sauces made with either a vinegar, tomato, or mustard base. Regardless of the style, some chains have succeeded in doing it right and built a huge group of advocates during their decades in business. Some chains, however, have stumbled along the way.

These high, mighty, and meaty barbecue chains were once king of the range when it came to their fire-grilled goodness. Just driving by one of their locations and catching a whiff of fragrant grill smoke meant your next meal had to be barbecue. Today, unfortunately, these once greats have either shuttered completely or are barely hanging on to the bone.

For many people, an order of the Cornbread at Smokey Bones was like an injection of childhood straight into the nostalgia vein. Rumor has it that adding the item's signature honey pecan butter could invoke a near euphoric state. This chain is also widely known for its fire-roasted meats, of course. One of its most famous dishes is the Bone Fire. This unique menu item consisted of a combination of the restaurant's most popular grilled meats — such as ribs, sausage, and grilled chicken wings — that were presented on a mini grill which was placed right on your table. Lately, however, with locations closing down or being changed into other concepts, things are looking bleak for fans of this barbecue chain.

Started by Darden Brands in Orlando, Florida, this once thriving chain is slated, as of 2025, to reduce its number of locations — of which it currently operates around 60. FAT Brands Inc. bought the struggling chain back in 2023. However, the new owner plans to shutter most locations, with only 15 or so likely to remain once all is said and done. Some units will be closed outright, while others will be rebranded to locations of Twin Peaks, a sports bar chain.

Elvis wasn't the only king of Memphis, Tennessee. For many residents, the real king has always been the city's barbecue, known for its pulled and fire-roasted pork that is finished with a dry rub and served with a vinegar-based tomato sauce on the side. Three college friends, who founded Sticky Fingers back in 1992, had a dream to bring that Memphis-style barbecue to the world. 

Initially, the brand was successful, introducing the Memphis style to the Carolina Low Country. The first restaurant launched in Mt. Pleasant, a small suburb of Charleston, South Carolina. Eventually, the company was able to expand its brand footprint to 15 locations throughout the American South. Sticky Fingers grew in popularity due to its mainstay Memphis-style barbecue options of fire-roasted pork dishes, including fall-off-the-bone ribs and a host of tasty accompaniments such as fried okra, mac and cheese, and other standard barbecue side dishes. But nowadays, with so many locations closing down, lots of customers wish they'd wake up from a bad dream.

The original founders sold the business, subsequent ownership was inconsistent, and then the pandemic hit. The chain nine of its 11 restaurants during 2020. Then, it filed for bankruptcy in 2025. At the time of writing, there are a few locations still standing, but the future doesn't look great for this barbecue chain.

Texas does barbecue in its own way. It's not about the sauce; it's about the time. Lots of time, that is, to slow-cook meat to its juiciest point of perfection. Armadillo Willy's founder, John Berwald, had a mission to bring that Lone Star state experience to the people of California's Bay Area. Armadillo Willy's honored its Texas tradition by slow cooking its brisket for 18 hours before it ever touched the plate. The brand sold its meats at the restaurant, of course, but customers also loved the meat-by-the-pound take-away options. Things looked promising for Armadillo Willy's for more than 42 years, with Berwald building the chain to four locations. However, it closed most of them down in a sudden, unexpected move in 2025.

Other favorites that will be missed include cornbread muffins with cinnamon honey butter, jalapeño sausage, and signature corn salad. Three out of the four chain locations are now permanently closed, making low-and-slow Texas barbecue a little farther out of reach for Bay Area-barbecue lovers.

What began as a food truck passion project — and eventually grew into a small chain of five barbecue restaurants in Iowa — has mostly gone to that great barbecue boneyard in the sky. Big Al's, a Midwest food-scene darling that featured Southern, slow-cooked barbecue, with a Midwest flair, has closed all of its physical locations.

Customer favorites included Kansas City-style brisket, which is known for its flavorful burnt ends (brisket that is cooked a little longer and then cut, cubed, and sauced) and St. Louis-style baby back ribs (a local style that features a unique barbecue sauce and a meatier result, due to the way the ribs are butchered).

Big Al's founder, Al Laudencia, was a fixture in his community and tried to source as many local producers as possible, from Iowa beers to poultry from Ames-based Black Heritage Farms and Waukee's Old Station Craft Meats. However, the chain couldn't hold together, due to the evolving business climate, and it was eventually shuttered in 2024.

You know those old-school restaurants with sawdust on the floor that remind us of simpler times? Few barbecue chains could make these claims better than Chris & Pitt's. Established back in 1949, Chris & Pitt's was once seen as the place for barbecue throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Frequented by locals and celebrities, at its peak the chain grew to over a dozen locations. But today, those simpler times feel farther away than ever, with most of their locations closing down.

Yes, Chris & Pitts was known for barbecue staples such as ribs and pulled pork. But it was also loved for a number of unexpected options that kept customers coming back, including the prime rib, short ribs, deep-fried pork chops, spaghetti and meat sauce, and "Broasted" chicken menu item, which was an early example of pressure-cooked fried chicken.

Part barbecue joint, part steakhouse, Chris & Pitt's served the Los Angeles area for over 70 years, and today, only two locations remain. Those craving a taste of the past can still order a bottle of the signature 1949 barbecue sauce in Hickory Smoke or Original varieties.

Long before the fried chicken sandwich wars of today, there was the battle over baby back rib supremacy. This battle raged between master and apprentice, Tony Roma and Bobby Rubino. Rubino grew up in New York and was friends with Roma. He helped his friend open a restaurant in South Florida and repaid the kindness by "honoring" his former boss and starting his own rib place. But in the end, Rubino's would not make the cut. 

Rubino took everything he knew and everything he learned from Roma and opened his own chain of South Florida barbecue baby back ribs restaurants that expanded as far as San Francisco and New York. The two brands competed head-to-head through the 1980s, with Bobby Rubino's peaking at 25 locations. However, as more barbecue chains entered the market in the 1980s, Bobby Rubino's Place for Ribs began to struggle. The last remaining unit in the chain finally closed in 2022.

The chain was famous for its tender, fall-of-the-bone baby back ribs, but was also known for its predecessor to the blooming onion, the gigantic Onion Loaf, a behemoth of fried, crunchy onion petals that somehow, miraculously still left room for the entree. Oh, and what an entree it was.