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Charlie Vergos Rendezvous

Memphis, TN, US • 100 - 249 Employees
Restaurants

Memphis is the pork barbecue mecca of the world, and there are great barbecue restaurants in every nook and cranny of this town. We know how to eat right. And while everyone has a favorite, few can question that the Rendezvous is a quintessential Memphis experience. For 70 years, the Vergos family has been serving their signature dry rub ribs in a basement through a downtown alley across from the Peabody Hotel. And while the world outside has changed considerably, very little has changed in that magical basement. It all started in 1948. At the time, Charlie Vergos co-owned a meat and three restaurant called Wimpy's with his brother-in-law. But they didn't see eye to eye \on everything and Charlie decided he'd move into the basement and sell ham sandwiches and beer in a snack joint he called The Rendezvous. He turned an old coal chute into a smoker to give the meat some flavor. Business was good enough, but by the 50s, he realized he had a problem. He needed to diversify the menu.At that time, ribs were scrap meat. Ribs had been a staple of backyard barbecues in Memphis neighborhoods for years, but not used in restaurants. So Vergos came up with the still-used formula: he threw the racks 18 inches from the fire, and grilled them for an hour and fifteen minutes to seal in the flavor. A vinegar wash kept them moist. And Vergos created a rub based on his father's unique Greek seasonings and the cajun spices he discovered on visits to New Orleans. He added paprika to give it a more traditional barbecue color. And that's it. People went nuts for them. The standard for "Memphis style"​ barbecue ribs was set over half a century ago in a basement restaurant in Downtown Memphis. Not much has changed today. While the meat is the calling card, a big part of what makes The Rendezvous special is the experience. The smoky aroma is grilled meat and barbecue shake. The sounds of Memphis soul and delta blues, cut with clinking beer mugs and laughter.