Overview:
The oldest Tops Bar-B-Q & Burgers location returns after two fires
After being closed for 18 months because of two fires, the oldest Tops Bar-B-Q & Burgers in Memphis is back.
“This restaurant is the oldest Tops in the chain, which makes it the oldest barbecue place in Memphis,” says Tops Cheif Operating Officer Hunter Brown. “It’s 65 years old. It’s the oldest one left open.”
This Tops, the first of the restaurant’s 19 locations, will feature a soft opening Thursday, June 25th.
A smiling Joyce Coffey stops by the restored Tops and greets Brown. “I’m glad to see this open back up. My husband’s been coming here — ‘cause they lived right around the corner — since he was six years old. He is 74 years old. So, we’re glad to see it back in the neighborhood.”
The structure originally was a house before being converted to a Tops. Over the years, the Tops here has been important to the community and nearby University of Memphis. The restaurant endured two fires, Brown says. “The original fire didn’t do a tremendous amount of damage, but it certainly took us down for a while.”
That fire occurred in February, 2025. The Memphis Fire Department “did a great job,” Brown says. “And so we rebuilt it and added some nice new features to complement the restoration of the building. We were ready to roll in late summer of 2025, and then arson happened and took it down to its internal bones.”
Brown says they went back to work restoring it a second time. “It’s too important to the community,” he adds.
The exterior brick, including the chimney, is intact, but the interior was completely redone, Brown says. “Everything is brand new.”
They were able to salvage the “old school red-and-orange floor tile,” Brown says, adding that it’s important for longtime guests to walk inside and step on the familiar tile that will “take them back to their childhood.”
Invited to the grand opening celebration will be members of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce, city government officials, firefighters, and members of the Memphis Police Department who kept their eyes out for criminal activity as they put the Tops back together.
“Pillars of the community that were important to getting this back up and going,” will also be invited,” Brown says. “It’s their Tops, too.”
Says Tops CEO Randy Hough: “For many people, Rhodes Avenue isn’t just another restaurant. It’s a piece of Memphis history. This building has welcomed guests for more than six decades and has created memories for multiple generations of families. It was extremely important to us that we preserve as much of the history as possible while creating a modern restaurant that will serve Memphis for decades to come.”
During restoration, Brown says people often stopped and asked workers, “When are you opening my Tops again?'” That time has come, he says, “and we’re going to be stronger than ever.”
