For 36 years, Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q has been the kind of place you could smell before you could see. A true Fort Lauderdale institution, its wood-smoked perfume often drifted down U.S. 1, drawing in generations of locals for St. Louis ribs, pulled pork, smoky chicken, and sides that tasted exactly like the Sunday dinners many grew up on. But this month, the beloved barbecue landmark will close for good, marking the end of an era that Broward diners never imagined would come.
The announcement went out quietly. According to the Sun Sentinel, its owners left handwritten farewell notes taped to the door and the cash register, and it immediately sent shockwaves across the community. Longtime customers flooded the restaurant with calls, stopping by in disbelief and lining up for one last taste before the final day on Sunday, December 21. For so many people, Tom Jenkins’ was not just a restaurant. It was tradition. It was comfort. It was Fort Lauderdale.
A History Rooted in Faith, Friendship, and Southern Roots
According to the restaurant’s longtime website, Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q originated in the 1990s, thanks to two friends: chef Troy Davis and pitmaster James “Junior” Hart. Both men shared a deep love for Southern cooking, shaped by Hart’s family recipes from Georgia and Davis’ culinary background, as well as the community-centered spirit in which they grew up. The restaurant’s name honors Rev. Tom Jenkins, a minister whose warmth, hospitality, and faith inspired the founders and reflected everything they wanted the brand to stand for.
Before opening a permanent location, Davis and Hart sold barbecue at local festivals and farmers’ markets across Fort Lauderdale. Their slow-smoked meats and homemade sauce quickly developed a cult following, the kind that grows only when people taste something that reminds them of home. That momentum eventually allowed them to open their brick-and-mortar on South Federal Highway, where they have now operated for more than 35 years…