Southern Hospitality Barbecue Joint Once Backed By Justin Timberlake Closes

Hell’s Kitchen barbecue spot Southern Hospitality, best known for once being affiliated with Justin Timberlake, is now closed.

The restaurant at 645 Ninth Avenue, near 45th Street, recently stopped opening its doors even though tables are seemingly set up for service inside. Southern Hospitality has yet to announce the shutter, though a spokesperson confirms it and tells Eater that the space will transition into a new concept in the fall.

Owner Eytan Sugarman originally opened the Memphis-style barbecue spot on the Upper East Side in 2007, but that location closed in 2012. He expanded with the Hell’s Kitchen outpost in early 2011. Timberlake at one point promoted the original Southern Hospitality restaurant as an investor/partner, though in 2009 he backed away from the team.

But Sugarman has been busy opening and taking over other restaurants around NYC in recent months. He took over the historic West Village bar White Horse Tavern in March, and before that, he opened a controversial new pizza shop that was accused of stealing Prince Street Pizza’s famed pepperoni slice.

Aside from his new ventures, he also still runs pricey steakhouse Hunt & Fish Club in Midtown. The restaurateur now only lists those three properties under his Instagram bio, with no mention of Southern Hospitality. Eater has reached out for more information.

Eater