Central BBQ

Looks like the Memphians have finally crossed the great river and are looking to set up shop in Arkansas. Fayetteville Flyer reported today that Central BBQ, the acclaimed Memphis barbecue joint, announced plans to open a Fayetteville location. The restaurant will be the latest addition to the newly developed South Yard at the corner of South School Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, on the site of the old Farmers’ Coop.

Since the restaurant’s founding in 2002, Central BBQ has expanded to six locations: four in Memphis and two in Nashville. According to the Fayetteville Flyer, a seventh location is currently under construction in Southaven, Mississippi, which will be the first to open outside the state of Tennessee. Fayetteville’s South Yard is expected to be the eighth Central BBQ location when construction is complete sometime in early 2023.

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Central BBQ will add some Memphis flavor to NWA’s already flourishing barbecue scene, joining the likes of statewide favorites like Wright’s, Penguin Ed’s and Lucky Luke’s. Fayetteville can expect the usual Memphis suspects from Central BBQ’s menu: pulled pork sandwiches with slaw and dry-rubbed ribs that fall off the bone, as well as some non-traditional items like house-made pork rinds, barbecued bologna and the crowd-pleasing barbecue nachos.

While every Arkansawyer knows the barbecue is better on this side of the river, we humbly welcome Central BBQ to Razorback Country, and we look forward to seeing how they compete with the hometown favorites.

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