What Happened to Barbecue King Drive-In After Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Current status
As of September 2026, Barbecue King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via tastingtable.com, October 22, 2025.
Last verified
What the source shows: Tasting Table reported, citing WCNC, that owner Gus Karapanos confirmed on 2025-10-22 the restaurant would close on November 1, 2025 due to a property sale; a Yelp listing for the business was separately updated in May 2026 marking it permanently closed.
- Season / episode Season 6, Episode 1
- Address 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.
Everything on this map is also in the list below.
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Bar-B-Q King Drive-In Restaurant appeared on "Best Thing I Ever Ate," in the "All American" episode, which featured the Wilkinson Boulevard drive-in's carhop service, order-matic menu boards, and trays delivered curbside on articulated arms, alongside its fried chicken, seafood, and trademark onion rings. The drive-in served customers since 1959 and was run by Omega Foods, Inc., partners Charlie Psomadakis and Jack Law, according to Roadfood. Pork barbecue and fried chicken were signature orders, and phone-ahead pickup packed in the drive-in's cardboard boxes became a customer trademark. The restaurant drew national attention when Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" featured it in 2007. After 66 years in business, Bar-B-Q King closed on November 1, 2025, with a bank branch planned for the site, according to Country 103.7.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited Bar-B-Q King, filmed here as 'Barbecue King Drive-In,' in the 'BBQ' episode (S1E5), aired 2007-05-28, spotlighting the restaurant's vinegar-based Carolina barbecue and its drive-in ordering, where customers ordered through a menu speaker box and food was brought out to their cars. The family-owned restaurant opened in 1959 at 2900 Wilkinson Blvd on Charlotte's west side. Tasting Table reported on 2025-10-22, citing WCNC, that owner Gus Karapanos confirmed the restaurant would close on November 1, 2025, citing a recent sale of the property after his more than 40 years running the drive-in. A Yelp listing for the business was separately updated in May 2026 marking it permanently closed.
Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate
- Original air date
- Not confirmed
- Episode title
- All American
- What was featured
- Carhop drive-in barbecue, fried chicken, and trademark onion rings
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Barbecue King Drive-In
- Original air date
- Episode title
- BBQ
- What was featured
- the restaurant's vinegar-based barbecue and drive-in speaker-box ordering
- Role
- Featured restaurant
- Name on the broadcast
- Barbecue King Drive-In
Frequently asked questions
Is Barbecue King Drive-In still open in 2026?
As of September 2026, Barbecue King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via tastingtable.com, October 22, 2025.
What happened to Barbecue King Drive-In after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Bar-B-Q King Drive-In Restaurant appeared on "Best Thing I Ever Ate," in the "All American" episode, which featured the Wilkinson Boulevard drive-in's carhop service, order-matic menu boards, and trays delivered curbside on articulated arms, alongside its fried chicken, seafood, and trademark onion rings. As of September 2026, Barbecue King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via tastingtable.com, October 22, 2025.
Is Barbecue King Drive-In permanently closed?
As of September 2026, Barbecue King Drive-In has closed — confirmed via tastingtable.com, October 22, 2025. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.
Where is Barbecue King Drive-In located?
2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.
What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Barbecue King Drive-In?
Season 6, Episode 1 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “All American”.
Is Barbecue King Drive-In still using the Best Thing I Ever Ate menu or branding?
Bar-B-Q King Drive-In Restaurant appeared on "Best Thing I Ever Ate," in the "All American" episode, which featured the Wilkinson Boulevard drive-in's carhop service, order-matic menu boards, and trays delivered curbside on articulated arms, alongside its fried chicken, seafood, and trademark onion rings. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.
Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.
More from Best Thing I Ever Ate
-
Charlotte, NC
Open verified Checked -
Atlantic Beach, NC
Open verified Checked -
Charlotte, NC
Open reported Checked -
Black Pelican Oceanfront Restaurant
Kitty Hawk, NC
Open reported Checked -
Nags Head, NC
Closed verified Checked -
Black Mountain, NC
Open reported Checked
Other TV restaurants in North Carolina
-
Charlotte, NC
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open verified Checked -
Now: Rio Ultra Lounge (formerly 360 Lounge Reloaded)
Charlotte, NC
Bar Rescue
Renamed reported Checked -
Charlotte, NC
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open reported Checked -
Charlotte, NC
Man v. Food
Closed verified Checked -
Charlotte, NC
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open reported Checked -
Charlotte, NC
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open reported Checked
Nearest tracked restaurants
-
Charlotte, NC · 1.2 mi away
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open reported Checked -
Charlotte, NC · 1.8 mi away
Man v. Food
Open reported Checked -
Charlotte, NC · 1.9 mi away
Man v. Food
Closed verified Checked -
Charlotte, NC · 2.0 mi away
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open verified Checked -
Charlotte, NC · 2.6 mi away
Man v. Food
Closed verified Checked -
Charlotte, NC · 2.7 mi away
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open reported Checked
Visit info
- Address
- 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208
- Venue type
- restaurant
- Official website
- None found
- State hub
- TV restaurants in North Carolina
Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources
- roadfood.com — https://roadfood.com/restaurants/bar-b-q-king
- country1037fm.com — https://country1037fm.com/2025/10/21/historic-bar-b-q-king-to-close-after-66-years-ending-an-era-in-charlotte/
- tastingtable.com — https://www.tastingtable.com/2004912/north-carolina-bar-b-q-king-restaurant-closure-guy-fieri-favorite/
- Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/bar-b-q-king-charlotte
- wcnc.com — https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/food/charlottes-bar-b-q-king-will-close-doors/275-b00d624c-27a1-4d06-ab43-010a6fae9eb2
See something wrong?
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record ddd-0015 · last verified .