Local Barbecue Joint Closes Doors, Owner Posts Letter to Customers

A popular Short Pump barbeque joint has closed its doors, but the owners say it’s not the last you’ll hear from them. Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ at the corner of Three Chopt and Church Roads, shut down on August 28th.

August 31, 2011; 10:03 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

A popular Short Pump barbecue joint has closed its doors, but the owners say it’s not the last you’ll hear from them. Grandpa Eddie’s Alabama Ribs & BBQ at the corner of Three Chopt and Church Roads, shut down on Monday.

The owners of this locally-owned restaurant of more than six years posted the following letter to their customers on Monday, claiming the closure wasn’t the result of the economy or lack of customers.

To Our Grandpa Eddie’s Friends & Family:

Due to circumstances well beyond our control, GRANDPA EDDIE’S IS NOW CLOSED. It is a terrible shame, but had nothing to do with the health of the business. Thanks to all of you, we were actually having our best year yet! External factors got in the way.

We Thank You for 6 Years of Support, Loyalty & Friendship. It has been an incredible journey and we appreciate every moment we had together. Our customers have always been members of our family, coming to eat in our home’s dining room.

I am honored to have been your Host, seen your children grow up, watched you get married, celebrated your new job, birthday, anniversary and just plain share your family with ours. The greatest compliment a guest can pay a restaurant is to have us be a part of your special life events. You guys have always done that with us.

I thank your for not just coming out to celebrate, but also for all the times you invited us into your homes and businesses to cater for you. It always meant so much to me that you wanted us to share in your weddings, graduations, births and even funerals. My vision for Grandpa Eddie’s from the beginning was to become part of the fabric of the community and you allowed me to see that vision come true over and over.

We are down for now, but not necessarily out. I am not sure where we are going to end up, but we are hoping to have some form of Grandpa Eddie’s in the future. I can’t keep our Smoked Wings, Baby Backs and Peanut Butter Pie from all of you.

To keep up with our plans or to leave us a note, please place a comment below.

We hope to see you again, soon.

-Carey, Sarah, Sophie, Huck & the Grandpa Eddie’s Staff

Grandpa Eddie’s also operated a mobile barbecue cart called the Hog Wagon, which has also now ceased operation.

You can reach out to the owners via a blog post on the Hog Wagon website.