Bring on the Smoke!

Longtime Memphis-based Central BBQ announced today the opening of its newest restaurant in Fayetteville, Arkansas, marking what will be the company’s 8th location. Located at Specialized Real Estate Group’s newest development, South Yard, on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and South School Avenue, the restaurant is scheduled to open in early 2023.

“BBQ is about soul, community, and a good time. For this reason, it wasn’t a matter of “if” but “when” we would call Fayetteville home,” said Brian Wyatt, COO of Central BBQ. “We could not be more thrilled to partner with the great team at Specialized to add some smoke to South Yard and the Fayetteville BBQ experience.”

Central BBQ opened in 2002 and has been ranked as the number one spot for BBQ in Memphis since 2005. In addition, the restaurant has been featured on the Food Network, and in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, and Men’s Health. This will be Central BBQ’s first location in Arkansas, with six locations in Tennessee and one location opening this fall in Mississippi.

“We are thrilled that South Yard will be home to Central BBQ’s first location in Arkansas,” said Jeremy Hudson, CEO of Specialized Real Estate Group. “Central BBQ will be easily accessible through the Razorback Greenway and is an important partner in our effort to create unique, walkable places for our community.”

South Yard is scheduled to open in late 2022.  The development will reuse four existing buildings, formerly occupied by Farmers Cooperative, and offer food and beverage establishments, entertainment, small office and retail space, a new public park, and 128 apartments.



Skip to content