Wanted: New restaurant for famed People's Bar-B-Que site in Overtown
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The exterior of the restaurant. Photo: Courtesy of Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency
Nine years after People's Bar-B-Que shut down, the smell of smoked ribs may soon return to Overtown.
Why it matters: The legendary barbecue spot isn't reopening, but a new landlord is searching for a grill master to help preserve the cultural history of the historic Black neighborhood.
State of play: People's, which opened in 1962 at 350 NW Eighth St., was sold last year to the Southeast Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency.
- The CRA spent about $1.5 million building a new barbecue pit and renovating the kitchen and exterior spaces.
Driving the news: In August, the CRA began soliciting proposals from folks interested in running a restaurant there.
- The new operator will be required to serve barbecue and include a variation of "People's BBQ" in its name.
- The CRA followed a similar process when it found a tenant for what would become the Michelin-recommended Red Rooster Overtown, the Miami Times reports.
The intrigue: After the CRA picks its finalists, the community will choose a winner through a blind cook-off competition.
Flashback: In its heyday, Miami icons like Dwyane Wade and Trick Daddy ate at People's and the smoke from the barbecue pit would tempt drivers along I-95.
The restaurant's origins date back to 1925, when People's Pharmacy opened across the street from the current location, according to the CRA.
- Owner Bobby Lewis Sr. — Miami-Dade County's first Black pharmacist — began selling barbecue in the stand next door and changed the name to People's Pharmacy and Barbecue, according to the CRA.
- Lewis left People's to his children, who focused on the food business after he died at 99 years old, the Miami Times reported.
The restaurant closed in 2016 for renovations and initially promised to reopen by 2018, but contractor issues and COVID-19 delayed the project, a CRA spokesperson tells Axios.
- The work was completed in June 2024 after the family sold the property for $3.5 million.
What they're saying: "People's was more than a restaurant — it was an institution that helped shape the soul of Overtown," James D. McQueen, executive director of the CRA, said in a statement.
- "We're proud to support reimagining this space in a way that honors its legacy and continues its tradition of serving the community."
What's next: The application deadline is Oct. 14. The new operator will be selected later this year.
- A grand opening is tentatively scheduled for January.