After 88 years, barbecue and food lovers are saying goodbye to Clyde Cooper’s BBQ in downtown Raleigh.
The Southern cuisine restaurant announced on New Year’s Day that it will move from 327 S. Wilmington St. to North Raleigh’s Quail Corners Shopping Center on Millbrook and Falls of Neuse roads.
Clyde Cooper’s will take over the former barbecue spot, Red Hot & Blue, joining other businesses at the shopping center such as Big Ed’s, Cristo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria, and Yoba Studio.
A social media post about the relocation got hundreds of comments with an outpouring of love for one of the state’s oldest barbecue spots.
The move to North Raleigh comes seven months after the restaurant sold its Wilmington Street property in June. In 2023, owner Debbie Holt said Clyde Cooper’s would be moving out of downtown Raleigh.
The restaurant has seen less foot traffic since the COVID-19 pandemic, said Ashley Jessup, Holt’s daughter and co-owner.
“The move has been coming for the last two years, but nothing kind of panned out until we found our new location. So, it felt like it was a definitely a blessing,” Jessup said in a phone interview. “I think this location is everything we’ve asked for.”
The Quail Corners space is smaller than the current downtown location with less kitchen space and indoor seating, Jessup said. But it will have added outdoor enclosed seating and many more parking spaces, something Jessup and her family have been trying to get for over 15 years since they took over the restaurant’s management.
Though the Wilmington Street location is attached to a parking garage, city restrictions on public parking and strict closure hours made it hard for Clyde Cooper’s customers to park there, Jessup said. The deck offers about 8,500 spaces, but customers have to pay after the first 15 minutes. After 7 p.m., the deck is free but Clyde Cooper’s closes at 6 p.m. and is closed on weekends.
“We’ve loved being in downtown Raleigh. It’s just not bounced back since COVID,” Jessup said. “COVID made it harder for small businesses. ... Rent, insurance and cost of supplies, that’s all gone up.”
Since 2024, several downtown Raleigh restaurants have closed, including Clouds Brewing, Oak City Meatball, and 42nd Street Oyster Bar (42nd Street is expected to reopen in 2026). On Jan. 25, Ashley Christensen’s Southern food restaurant, Beasley’s Chicken and Honey, will close on South Wilmington Street.
This is the second time Clyde Cooper’s has moved since opening downtown in 1938. The original location was on East Davie Street.
On New Year’s Day, dozens of customers piled into the current location for one last big celebration before the move. The buffet-style menu offered meals for $25, alcoholic drinks 50% off, free deck parking and the store’s decorations on sale.
Clyde Cooper’s BBQ will open in the Quail Corners center the first full week of January with a limited menu and working around renovations. In a few months, customers can expect a grand opening.
“This is Cooper’s 3.0,” Jessup said. “The world’s changing, and we’re going to keep as much history as we can, but we have to move with what’s going on right now in order to keep our 88-year-old business alive.”
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