Gainesville barbecue lovers will soon have the flavor of Central Florida at their fingertips when 4 Rivers Smokehouse opens its doors on Archer Road.
The Winter Park-based restaurant chain, known for its smoked beef brisket and corporate philanthropy, announced Tuesday that it plans to open its Gainesville location in Butler Plaza where McAlister’s Deli is now. The restaurant will open in the spring and will employ about 60 people.
“We’re hoping to take occupancy of the space March 1 and to open around May or June,” said John Rivers, founder and chef of 4 Rivers Smokehouse.
McAlister’s Deli will relocate to a space closer to Publix, he said.
The company chose Gainesville for its next location, Rivers said, because many former employees and customers from Central Florida attend college in Gainesville.
“We already had some brand recognition,” Rivers said.
The three other locations in Winter Park, Winter Garden and Longwood “predominantly employ college students, and some high school students,” Rivers said. Three of those employees will be the management team who will come from Orlando, and the rest, he said, will likely be college students.
Rivers said he believes hiring college students creates an opportunity to increase his brand recognition.
“Each semester, all those students who do graduate will take my brand to Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta,” Rivers said. “It really gives me the opportunity to expand.”
Some UF barbecue fans said they’re excited to have another option for snacking on brisket and ribs.
“I’m a sucker for beef brisket,” said UF senior Kacie Pounds, 22. “If they can smoke it well and keep it moist, then they’ve got me.”
The 4 Rivers Smokehouse specialty is Texas-style smoked beef brisket aged for 30 days, Rivers said.
However, Morgan Kerr, a 20-year-old UF biology junior, said adding another restaurant to the city could overcrowd an already-competitive market.
“We do have pretty good barbecue places in this area already,” she said.
Pounds said a new barbecue restaurant is likely to face fierce competition, but that the biggest factor to a new restaurant’s success is a convenient location.
Unlike some of its competitors, the restaurant doesn’t serve alcohol. But Rivers said customers can bring in their own beer and wine.
“It’ll be nice to have a B.Y.O.B. place in Gainesville,” said Julius Finney, a 25-year-old UF senior. “It’ll bring a little big-city flair.”
