A beloved Sarasota BBQ restaurant is permanently closing on Saturday

One of the best barbecue restaurants in Sarasota and Bradenton will soon be closing.

Nancy Krohngold, the beloved local pitmaster behind the Nancy's Bar-B-Q brand that has been serving smoked meats in Sarasota and Manatee counties for nearly two decades, opened her latest brick-and-mortar restaurant in August.

Nancy's Bar-B-Q occupies the building at 1525 Fourth St. in downtown Sarasota's Rosemary District just north of Fruitville Road. The two-story space has housed various restaurants in recent years. Alas, this week Nancy's Bar-B-Q will join the lengthy list of businesses that have failed to find a customer base at that Rosemary District location.

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Nancy's Bar-B-Q in Sarasota announces it's permanently closing on Saturday

Nancy's Bar-B-Q has announced that the restaurant is permanently closing on Saturday (Jan. 6) at 9 p.m. For the final three days, Nancy's is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can also call Nancy's at 941-955-3400 to pre-order catering for pick up on Friday or Saturday. Krohngold may continue operating her catering business, which she informed me "remains robust since the move, but it's not nearly adequate to sustain the store."

In a statement shared on Nancy's Bar-B-Q's social media page, Krohngold expressed gratitude.

"Please accept my heartfelt thank you for supporting a local BBQ odyssey that began in 2006," Krohngold said. "It has been the pleasure and honor of my life to meet and cook for you."

Nancy's Bar-B-Q operated out of Lakewood Ranch at Lorraine Corners before the location closed in July, when Krohngold couldn't reach an agreement renewing the lease. However, the restaurant's first brick-and-mortar space opened in downtown Sarasota in 2011 at the corner of Ringling Boulevard and Pineapple Avenue, by the Burns Court district. Nancy's Bar-B-Q thrived in downtown Sarasota for about a decade before closing in 2020 due to the property being sold and her lease ending.

'I confess that I thought reopening in downtown Sarasota would be a home run'

I often frequented Nancy's original downtown Sarasota location, which I could walk to from our Herald-Tribune office. In September, I visited her new space. In a subsequent column about restaurants that are reviving the Rosemary District, I noted that while her previous locations in Lakewood Ranch and downtown Sarasota had their charms, particularly the funky downtown spot, my favorite was Nancy's new home in the Rosemary District.

I liked the multiple dining areas, including a mezzanine, the full bar, and the fact that there were plenty of TVs ready to show NFL football. More importantly, Krohngold's team did not disappoint with the food. Highlights included her famed pulled pork, as well as pulled chicken, both doused with her irresistible chipotle barbecue sauce. The ribs were so expertly seasoned that I couldn't even bring myself to add sauce.

Krohngold emailed me on Wednesday (Jan. 4), a couple hours before posting on social media about permanently closing at the end of business this Saturday, Jan. 6. The vast majority of restaurateurs do not offer a reason for why a place they have poured so much time and effort into does not succeed. Krohngold, however, offered several reasons. These included the Rosemary District not being in downtown Sarasota proper, parking misconceptions, more people working from home, and the rise of restaurant operating costs.

"We left (Lakewood Ranch) only because we could not renew our lease, and I could find no other space to move out there. I saw having to relocate as a great opportunity to return to our roots and our original — and loyal — customer base in downtown Sarasota," Krohngold said. "I confess that I thought reopening in downtown Sarasota would be a home run, but that's not how it's played out. Call it what you will: Hubris, or wearing rose-colored glasses, or wishful thinking. So many folks have congratulated us on the move and thanked us for returning to downtown, but their enthusiasm is not translating into enough foot traffic through the doors to keep us going."

Many others, including one of the region's top chefs, have also failed at the same Rosemary District location currently occupied by Nancy's. Oasis Restaurant & Bar closed in May. Before that, the building housed in recent years Catrinas Tacos & Tequila Bar, Salsas & Boogaloo and Servandos. It probably remains best known as the home of Chef Darwin Santa Maria's brewpub Darwin's on 4th, which closed in 2015.

Here's to hoping someone can make a restaurant work in the handsome building at 1525 Fourth St. For now, stop and wish Nancy the best of luck on her next endeavor.

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Wade Tatangelo is Ticket Editor for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Florida Regional Dining and Entertainment Editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: A beloved Sarasota BBQ restaurant is permanently closing on Saturday