A new barbecue restaurant is smoking in Gainesville, and it’s in time for the first gameday.
Central Florida-based 4 Rivers Smokehouse opened in Butler Plaza, at 3262 SW 35th Blvd., on Thursday.
The smokehouse serves Texas-style brisket and other Southern flavors in a deli-style layout. It allows customers to bring their own beer.
The 5,000-square-foot location, which was previously occupied by McAlister’s Deli, will seat up to 125 guests, according to a press release.
John Rivers, the owner and founder of 4 Rivers, said he chose Gainesville as the home of his newest location partly because a large fan base that’s already familiar with the brand commutes from Central Florida for games, he said.
He said he expects the restaurant to do well in Gainesville because of the prevalent football culture.
“We expect lots of catering orders and tailgating packages for games,” Rivers said.
In fact, he said, the restaurant won the UF Alumni Association’s catering award for the past year.
Austin Armour, a 20-year-old UF marketing junior, agreed that Gainesville is a good market for the new restaurant.
“They have great food, and I’m excited to see it come to Gainesville,” Armour said.
Skip Bone, a leasing manager at the Woodlands of Gainesville, said he was eager for the opening. It could be a new catering option for events at the apartment complex, he said.
“I’ve eaten there before, and it was great,” Bone said. “My favorite dish is the Texas Destroyer.”
Bone says it will probably give places like David’s Real Pit BBQ some competition.
Jeremy Harrison, a manager of Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q on Archer Road, agreed.
“I think the opening will kill business for the first two weeks,” Harrison said. “But loyal customers will come back. The clientele is based out of Gainesville. You can’t take that away.”
A pulled pork sandwich at 4 Rivers is $7.99 and comes with two sides. They have salads for $6.25, and customers can get a half rack of ribs for $12.99.
A version of this story ran on page 3 on 8/30/2013 under the headline "Central Florida barbecue favorite 4 Rivers opens in Butler Plaza"
The assembly line at 4 Rivers Steakhouse in Butler Plaza was busy with orders from customers Thursday afternoon. The new location is the first to open in Gainesville.
