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Elvis Presley had quite the appetite for life, whether it was for outlandish jumpsuits, customized Cadillacs, or a dozen of his favorite fast-food burgers from Krystal. But there was one hometown restaurant that Presley wasn’t able to patronize in person, no matter how much he wanted to. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous, one of the most legendary barbecue spots in Memphis, has been a downtown institution since 1948. Located to this day in a basement, just steps through a downtown alley from the iconic Peabody Hotel, the Rendezvous is famous for its dry rub ribs.
Presley often had a hankering for its ribs, but he never physically went to the location. John Vergos, the founder’s son, has a pretty good explanation for why. In the book “Elvis Style,” he said, “Elvis loved our ribs. However, he never came to The Rendezvous. Elvis always wanted to rent the whole place out and my father didn’t want to lose customers so he refused.” Understandably, with a seated capacity of around 250 people, the restaurant would lose money, no matter how much barbecue Presley and his crew put down. But instead of refusing Presley outright, Vergos had a solution: “Instead, we would courier our ribs out to Graceland for Elvis to enjoy.”…