NY and NJ Barbecue Joints Trying to Survive Coronavirus
I ordered delivery from Mable’s Smokehouse in Brooklyn (my closest joint) this week to help support them. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
This is the web edition of the NYC BBQ Weekly newsletter. If you would like to receive this in your inbox for free each week, subscribe here!
As the coronavirus continues to decimate the restaurant industry in New York and around the country, it’s clear that a lot of things are going to change quickly for a lot of people in the industry. Many employees have been laid off — so many that the unemployment claims system is broken — and owners are unsure if they should shut down their businesses altogether.
In the BBQ restaurant world, things have been no different. Owners want immediate help from federal and state governments and some have even turned to GoFundMe to raise money. Some restaurants have successfully made the transition to delivery and takeout, while others have shut down all operations temporarily.
Both Pig Beach NYC and Blue Smoke (a part of Union Square Hospitality Group) have laid off almost all their staff, a move that lets those team members immediately apply for unemployment. Both joints intend to rehire most of the affected staff members when the coronavirus crisis ends. Kimchi Smoke in Westwood, New Jersey has closed temporarily. Virgil’s Real BBQ in Times Square has closed but I haven’t heard yet if they’ve laid off staff. Carlitos Barbecue Taqueria in New Jersey closed temporarily too.
While this restaurant apocalypse has affected many joints, a fair number are still operating via takeout and delivery orders. This is the time to go support your local BBQ joint if you want them to survive this.
Barbecue restaurants of note in New York and New Jersey that are still operating for takeout and delivery include:
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que – Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Troy, and Brooklyn locations – Open 7 days a week for takeout and delivery.
Fette Sau – Brooklyn, NY – Open 7 days a week for takeout and delivery through Grubhub, Seamless, and Caviar.
Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue – Brooklyn, NY – Open 7 days a week for takeout and delivery through Grubhub, Seamless, Caviar, and DoorDash.
Gentle Giant Brewing – Regular business hours Tuesday through Sunday for takeout.
Hill Country Barbecue Market – Manhattan, NY – Open 7 days a week for takeout and delivery. Place orders online HERE.
Hometown Bar-B-Que – Brooklyn, NY – Tuesday through Sunday regular business hours. Takeout and delivery within a limited radius. Order through their website.
Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse – Brooklyn, NY – Open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday for takeout and delivery. Call 347.425.0524 to place orders directly.
John Brown Smokehouse – Queens, NY – Open for takeout and delivery orders. Call them at 347.617.1120 to place orders or place pre-orders at johnbrownsmokehouse@gmail.com.
Juicy Lucy BBQ – Staten Island, NY – Open 7 days a week for takeout and delivery.
Mable’s Smokehouse – Brooklyn, NY – Open 7 days a week for takeout and delivery on Grubhub, Seamless, and Caviar.
Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque – Various locations in NY and NJ – Normal business hours 7 days a week for takeout & delivery from noon-9 p.m. depending on the location. Get 15% off with code MIGHTY15 on their website and app. Also on UberEats, GrubHub and Caviar.
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue – Brooklyn, NY – Open 7 days a week for take-out and delivery.
Queens Bully - Queens, NY - Open 7 days a week, take-out delivery, and curbside delivery. Grubhub, UberEats, Seamless, Postmates, DoorDash. Can place orders directly by calling 718.520.8600.
Randall’s Barbecue – Manhattan, NY – Open 7 days a week from 4-9 p.m. for take-out and delivery. For delivery, use Seamless and Grubhub. For take-out, please call 646-692-9980.
Red White & Que Smokehouse – Kearny, NJ – Normal hours for pickup and delivery. Please call ahead so they can take your payment over the phone to have everything ready for curbside pickup.
Thanks to Kevin Kelly of Kevin’s BBQ Joints for working on this list with me. Please email me if I’m missing a restaurant you love or own and I’ll add to this list.
Two small bits of good news in this dire time include 1) new booze deliveries are seeing success throughout NYC, which helps our bars and restaurants keep going; and 2) Some joints have seen success moving to delivery and takeout orders.
Juicy Lucy BBQ on Staten Island reported they were able to transition to delivery and takeout well. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Juicy Lucy BBQ, a relative newcomer, made a highly successful transition to delivery and takeout orders.
“Staten Island, we at Juicy Lucy BBQ wanted to just stop and say thank you for all your love and support during this difficult time,” owner Richie Holmes wrote on Facebook. “We really didn’t know what to expect as far as business goes once we converted our format over to pick up and delivery, so we cooked less than we normally would for a Tuesday and a Wednesday, we almost sold out of our BBQ last night. … The last 2 days have been our best 2 days of deliveries since we opened.”
Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse said it has had strong community support during this hard time:
“Thank you for the unbelievable and overwhelming amount of support that we’ve received the last two days,” the business wrote on Instagram. “This will definitely help the team morale and to feel more secure throughout this hard time.”
Red, White, & Que in New Jersey have still been selling out by 5 p.m. each day. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Dan Misuraca of Red, White, & Que Smokehouse in Kearny, NJ tells me his business is also weathering the storm so far, and it has been selling out of food at around 5 p.m. He said his business was heavily takeout and delivery before, so it is uniquely suited for the situation. However, all catering and events (which are a big part of the business) have been canceled, so they’ll take a big hit there.
As for BBQ events in the New York area, most have been canceled or postponed. Pig Beach’s Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit in Brooklyn (one of the largest spring BBQ events in the NYC area) has officially been postponed, and the Beer and Bacon Classic 2020 in Brooklyn has also been postponed. I will continue to keep the NYC BBQ calendar up to date with the latest info as much as I can.
Until next week, please look out for your neighbors and keep supporting your local restaurants. This a tough time for all, and we need to come together if we want to make it out the other side.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Here are the top BBQ and related food news stories you need to know about this week:
New York City restaurants have all closed or moved to delivery/takeout, and they need help. (Photo by Sean Ludwig)
Restaurants are hurting right now, and the top things they need now are 1) rent abatement, 2) tax deferrals, and 3) immediate unemployment benefits, Eater writes.
Forbes writes that many New York restaurants have created new delivery and takeout specials to adapt to the changing situation on the ground.
Dallas BBQ, which operates 10 joints in New York City, has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. Co-owner Greg Wetanson said the company lost more than 20 private events through May. “That’s a tremendous hit, and we are bracing for more of it,” he added.
In New Jersey, BBQ joint Local Smoke (which has locations in Neptune City, Red Bank, Seaside Heights and New Hanover Township) told the Asbury Park Press recently that coronavirus has scared many customers away. “It is making people scared, and when people get scared the easiest thing to do is just go home,” Local Smoke co-owner Steve Raab said. “We are trying to go above and beyond everything to ensure that the customer feels welcome in a clean and sanitized environment.”
IRL BBQ
NOTE: Given the coronavirus crisis, I will be leaving this section blank for a few weeks. Some events have been canceled entirely while others have been postponed to the summer or fall. Many events during the next two to three months are now up in the air, but I’ll be doing my best to keep the website up to date with events that are confirmed.
Check out the full up-to-date NYC BBQ calendar here.
SAY HELLO (BUT 6 FEET PLEASE)
If you're not already subscribed to the newsletter, sign up here. You can also follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. If you want to write for NYC BBQ Weekly, sponsor the newsletter, or let me know about the best new barbecue you’ve tried, send me an email and let’s talk!