Fort Lauderdale staple Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q has announced that it will close soon. In an official statement on its website, the restaurant team announced that, after two years of planning, they have decided to close the restaurant, marking the end of its three-decade run. The restaurant team invited locals to visit and enjoy their favorite barbecue fare before the doors close permanently in December.
Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q To Bid Farewell on December 21
Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q, located on Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, has been a longstanding traditional American-style barbecue establishment. The restaurant is well known for its delicious and mouthwatering barbecue cuisine and bold Southern flavors and dishes like Rack of Pork Spare Ribs, BBQ Chicken, Potato Pie, Beef Brisket, and many more.
Recently, the restaurant team shared a statement on its website and announced the news of its closure. The team wrote, “After two years of careful planning, effective December 21, 2025, we have decided to retire and close the doors of Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q.”
The restaurant has been a go-to barbecue spot for nearly four decades, so news of its closure came as a surprise to loyal fans. In the statement, the restaurant expressed its gratitude to the community for its support over the past years. “It has been an honor to serve you and the community,” said the restaurant team.
The restaurant offers a warm, rustic, woodsy atmosphere that matches a warm vibe.
Legacy of Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q
Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q was founded by Harry Harrell and Gary Torrence in 1996, but their journey began way before that. Longtime friends Harrell and Torrence started doing business with homemade barbecue sauce and slowly transitioned into a smokehouse and then to an established barbecue place.
Through the years, the restaurant remained true to its name and tradition, serving meats slowly smoked over red oak. The original Barbecue sauce is one of the most important aspects of the Tom Jenkins’ Bar-B-Q; the bottled version of the sauce, Original and Country Gold, is also available at the local grocery store.
In the statement, the restaurant shared a positive note and stated, “This has been a journey full of love blessed by God, and we are certainly grateful. Thank you again, and may God continue to bless you and your families!”
The restaurant will serve its final diner just before Christmas, bringing an end to a longtime Fort Lauderdale favorite. As the restaurant wraps up its business, it extended an invitation to the community to join it before it shuts down.
