Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue, a historic mainstay of downtown Raleigh, has been sold
A barbecue institution in downtown Raleigh has sold its restaurant space.
Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue, one of North Carolina’s oldest barbecue restaurants, sold its Wilmington Street property last month. The sale comes more than a year after Clyde Cooper’s owner Debbie Holt signaled in late 2023 that she would take the restaurant out of downtown Raleigh.
Wake County real estate records show Clyde Cooper’s sold its 327 S. Wilmington St. space to buyer 88 Realty Group on May 27. The sale price was $2.24 million. The buyer appears to be Hibachi 88, a Raleigh Japanese grill with six Triangle locations.
The sale was first reported by Triangle Business Journal.
Clyde Cooper’s is a legendary name in North Carolina barbecue, tracing its roots back to 1938. The restaurant has been decidedly old school in its authenticity, smoking and serving whole hog style, famous pork cracklins and only recently accepting credit cards.
In 2023, Holt announced her plans to relocate Cooper’s from downtown Raleigh and put its restaurant space up for sale. Holt said she no longer felt supported in downtown Raleigh and cited post-pandemic slowness and parking as issues.
“I would always flush (the idea of moving) out of my head, but this is the first time in my life it feels right,” Holt said in 2023. “Clyde Cooper’s was born and bred in Raleigh — it almost breaks my heart to do it. But it feels like the right thing to do.”
Cooper’s next chapter
While the restaurant space has been sold, Cooper’s will remain in its longtime home for now. The restaurant will lease the space for the next few months until it moves into a new location.
A potential new home under discussion for Clyde Cooper’s is the remade Seaboard Station near Peace Street Raleigh.
Holt expects to remain business as usual for the next four to six months in the current location, and reopen by the end of 2025.
This is the second time Cooper’s has moved in its long history. In 2014, Holt moved the barbecue joint about a block from its original location.
Today, Clyde Cooper’s is operated by Holt and her daughter, Ashley. Despite the sale, Debbie Holt made it clear this is not retirement.
“I cannot let an 87-year-old business just go away,” Holt said. “We’re not going anywhere.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published June 3, 2025 at 12:12 PM.
