BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
A favorite Orange Park restaurant for more than for more than a decade is moving to Starke following a recent tragedy.
Confirmed by Starke City Hall and a Facebook post by proprietor Gary Lee Park Jr., G’s Slow Smoke BBQ will move into the former Pizza Hutt restaurant next to the courthouse.
The site is currently under renovation, but it proved a better option than reopening the location in Orange Park, which was severely damaged by fire in January.
The business had been open since 2012, and patrons raised more than $19,000 in supports for the restaurant since it’s untimely closure.
“To say it was devastating is a understatement,” Park posted on GoFundMe. “It’s literally life changing for myself, and especially for my employees! G’s was the only source of income they had, and with that being taken away is grief-stricken, and heartbreaking!”
More recently, Park posted on Facebook, saying they are looking for the right place to reopen in Clay County, but in the meantime, a great opportunity had been found in Starke. The old Pizza Hut building, which the county commission recently sold.
“We’re ready to fire up the smokers!” Park wrote.
This will be a sit-down restaurant serving up all of the barbecue and sides you would expect, with homemade banana pudding to finish it off.
“I know I’m excited about what the future G’s BBQ will be, and I know ya’ll will love it! It’s just a longer process to build a whole new facility, but well worth the wait!” he wrote. “It’s been a life changing couple of months for us, and I’m doing my best to get things up and running again! I have some awesome support, best in the industry, along with family, friends and the best customers ever!”
Huddle House
Down the road, another restaurant is being brought back from the dead.
The restaurant at the corner of U.S. 301 and Washington Street had been closed for some time. After failure to pay taxes, the county sold the property to Community State Bank last November, which turned around and sold it in February to 32 Degrees Inc. which is based in Ponte Vedra, Florida.
Starke City Manager Drew Mullins confirmed the plan to reopen Huddle House, which has an all-day breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
