Memphis Barbeque restaurant (320 23rd Street S.) in Crystal City has closed, and it’s not clear if it will ever re-open.
The restaurant has “closed for reorganization,” according to its website, and as pointed out in the ARLnow.com Forums earlier this week. The restaurant’s phone number has been disconnected and its owner could not be reached for clarification.
The restaurant opened in December 2011. It’s owned by Memphis native and restaurant veteran Chris George, who recruited Redrick Rayborn, formerly the manager of a Memphis-area barbecue restaurant, to serve as “pit master.”
The 5,500 square foot space included a 54-seat bar and a 170-seat dining room. Rock ‘n’ roll and Memphis-related memorabilia adorned the walls.
“When I walked past the shop earlier this week they had moved the planters out of the way and it looked like they had removed some stuff already,” a tipster told ARLnow.com today.
The Memphis Barbeque website asks customers to “please check back for future developments” but doesn’t otherwise say definitively whether the restaurant will re-open.
At least one remnant of the restaurant is still alive and well, though. The Memphis Barbeque Facebook page has not yet mentioned the closing and today asked its 55 followers what they would rather be doing at the moment instead of work.
