street. Dr.. The BBQ is closed

street. PETERSBURG – EDGE District Dr. Grill The BBQ is closed.

The restaurant, which opened in October 2018, was a collaboration between celebrity pitmaster and St. Petersburg resident Ray Lamb, aka “Dr. BBQ,” and Datz Restaurant Group owners Susan and Roger Berry.

Lambie, licensee to Dr. The name BBQ, Shutter was confirmed Friday morning in a podcast episode on local food blog St. Foodie in Petersburg.

In August, the Berry family sold the 7,935-square-foot building that houses both Dr. Rooftop BBQ and tiki bar Burnt Ends to South Florida developer PTM Partners for $4.5 million, the same group developing the nearby Moxy Hotel, part of the new mixed-use Edge Collective development.

Doctor. The BBQ remained open until Thursday evening, the last day for the restaurant. Susan Berry said a different tenant will be running a new venture in the space for the next 18 months.

Perry described the decision to close as “heartbreaking”.

“We loved this restaurant,” she said. “I was proud of this restaurant; we worked so hard on it.”

Berry said the rapid change in downtown St. The landscape of Petersburg, particularly the EDGE district, played a role in their decision to sell the restaurant. She also said that the lack of parking spaces available to restaurant customers was becoming difficult to manage.

“It was very simple: someone called us and said they really wanted that property in the worst way in the world,” Perry said. “This was just a real estate transaction. In this corridor of development, in this particular day, time, and economy—it was the right business decision to make. It was the only honest decision to make.”

The Perrys also operate Datz Restaurants in Tampa, Ste. Pete’s Riverview, Donovan’s casual steakhouse in Riverview, and Dough in Tampa.

The partnership and friendship between the Hall of Famer and Perrys BBQ dates back several years before the restaurant was launched. As part of their agreement, Lambie signed a five-year licensing agreement with Perrys for the use of Dr. The name of the roast. When the restaurant opened, the national barbecue scene was thriving and the place debuted to a lot of buzz, featuring an impressive selection of smoked meats, Southern-inspired comfort food with creative twists, and a huge selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes.

“Maybe it was a little bit ahead of its time,” Perry said. “But we cared for her and we loved her and we were passionate about her.”

Burnt Ends Tiki Bar, a tiki-shaped bar above Dr. Barbecue space, also enclosed. [ Courtesy of Burnt Ends Tiki Bar ]

In early 2021, the group expanded and renovated the second floor space into a tiki-themed cocktail bar, serving Polynesian-inspired snacks and tiki classics.

Perry said there are no changes in the future for the remaining DATZ Restaurant Group restaurants.

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“In 2023, our goal is to return to Service Quality 101,” she said. “It’s been very difficult the last couple of years with so many people leaving the industry.”

There is no word on what will happen next with the EDGE District space. An email was not returned to PTM Partners immediately.