Downtown St. Pete’s Dr. BBQ restaurant has closed

A downtown St. Pete favorite and go-to pre-game spot quietly closed its doors last week. 

Dr. BBQ and its adjoining tiki bar Burnt Ends—both located at 1101 Central Ave.— served its last customers on Thursday, Dec. 29, according to a podcast from stpetersburgfoodies.com.

The American restaurant was a collaboration between celebrity chef and licensor Ray Lampe and  Datz Hospitality Group, which owns and operates several concepts throughout Tampa Bay. Dr. BBQ debuted in its prime downtown location, adjacent to Tropicana Field, in 2018, while its second-story tiki bar opened last spring.

The building that housed Dr. BBQ was sold about six months ago, and Datz Hospitality Group was renting the space from its new owners until last week’s closure, according to the podcast.

Back in August, Datz Hospitality Group sold its 7,935-square-foot building for $4.5 million dollars to PTM Partners, a Fort Lauderdale-based company,  St. Pete Catalyst reports. PTM Partners have other construction projects happening throughout St. Pete, including the upcoming Moxy Hotel by Marriott, under construction at 1234-1246 Central Ave.

Dr. BBQ was known for its meaty menu of loaded chicken wings, house-smoked meats like pulled pork and brisket, burnt end tacos and approachable cocktails.

St. Petersburg Foodies podcast host Kevin Godbee interviewed Dr. BBQ himself last week, as the two discussed the restaurant’s somewhat shocking closure,  Lampe’s next steps, and more.

“It’s the nature of how things are going in St. Pete right now.”

“It was business decision, I had no say in it, but I do believe I would have done the same thing,” Lampe explained in the podcast. “It’s the nature of how things are going in St. Pete right now….the property value basically exceeds the interest in running a restaurant. That’s basically what happened.” 
Lampe says that the developer told him that the former Dr. BBQ building will be torn down in 18 months, also reiterating that the relationship between him and Datz’  Roger and Suzanne Perry still remains strong.

The idea of another Dr. BBQ opening elsewhere in St. Pete is still a possibility, but Lampe could not confirm or deny the continuation of his signature restaurant.

Suzanne Perry of Datz Hospitality Group told the Tampa Bay Times that another tenant is taking over the former Dr. BBQ space until the building’s demise next year, so keep your eyes peeled on the stadium-adjacent space for any signs of a brand new restaurant. 

This article appears in Dec 29, 2022 – Jan 4, 2023.