Southern Luv BBQ Coming to St. Pete's EDGE District, With 13 Florida Locations Committed

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Southern Luv BBQ is opening in downtown St. Petersburg’s EDGE District at 900 Central Avenue, a 1,256-square-foot space with roughly 20 indoor seats plus outdoor seating along Central. The location is expected to open by late 2026.

The lease was signed by a St. Petersburg resident with more than thirty years in the restaurant business, who has committed to opening 13 Southern Luv BBQ locations across Florida — including Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Lakeland, and South Florida.

For Chef Essi Tadrus, the choice of city was not a market calculation.

“St. Petersburg is very near and dear to me. It’s where my wife and I met and is filled with energy and joy.”

— Essi Tadrus, Chef & Founder, Southern Luv BBQ

Each market will get room to differ. Rather than replicating one fixed menu, the brand plans to let locations carry dishes suited to the neighbourhood around them.

“Having a culinary background and flexibility, we want to have dishes that cater specifically to different markets.”

— Essi Tadrus

The pace of the rollout has drawn attention, but Tadrus frames it as the visible part of a much longer runway.

“It may seem like this franchise expansion happened overnight, but this has been 20 years in the making.”

— Essi Tadrus

Quotes as given to St. Pete Rising, 17 June 2026. Read the original report.

About Southern Luv BBQ

Southern Luv BBQ is a fast-casual Southern barbecue concept founded by Chef Essi Tadrus in Tampa, Florida. Brisket and chicken are hand-trimmed and smoked over pecan wood, and sauces, sides, and barbecue potato chips are made from scratch.