JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s oldest and longest continuously operating barbecue restaurant is fighting to keep its doors open after serving the community for nearly 90 years.
Holley’s Bar-B-Q — which has been a staple in Jacksonville since 1937 — located on Moncrief Road has two claims to fame: It’s the oldest continuously operating barbecue restaurant in Jacksonville -- and it’s said to be where curly fries were invented. The only other restaurant older than Holley’s Bar-B-Q was Beach Road Fish House & Chicken Dinners on Atlantic Boulevard, which unfortunately closed its doors in 2023.
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The Black-owned, family-run business has been operating for nearly 88 years and began when the location was just a dirt road. The restaurant withstood segregation, desegregation, and multiple recessions.
The current owner is Wendy Holley. She’s Jack Holley’s niece— the founder of Holley’s Bar. Her father took over the business after Jack died and eventually passed it down.
“I’ve been in here my whole life,” Holley said. “My dad used to put a chair at the register and let me ring the register for him. I probably was 10 years old.”
The family credits their uncle Leroy for inventing the machine that creates curly fries, but she said that at the time, her uncle, who is her dad’s other brother, couldn’t patent the invention because he was unable to read and write.
GOFUNDME: Help Wendy Holley Preserve Jacksonville’s Oldest Eatery | Related: Oldest barbecue stand in the River City continues to help the community
Now, Holley is asking for help stating she is struggling to keep the historic restaurant afloat after recent break-ins. She said someone broke into her store back in July, and that break-in, and others, cost her thousands of dollars in repairs.
“My name is Wendy Holley & I own the oldest restaurant in Jacksonville Florida (87 years same location) & I am struggling to keep the business going - from all the break-ins not to mention the funds I keep losing trying to keep the business afloat - I have given more to this community & helped as much as I could.. now I need help,” a GoFundMe created by Wendy said.
Throughout the years, Wendy has given back to the community by giving away free food on Thanksgiving, sponsoring local athletic teams, and so much more. She is now asking for help to keep the legacy alive.
A crime tracking map from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shows more than 300 robberies and burglaries on Moncrief Road and surrounding streets since Jan. 1, 2024.
“I was ready to give up right then and there. It’s like the more I keep trying to do and give, they keep trying to tear me down. I’m like why would they break in the business? There’s nothing in here for them to take. So I was like, ‘Mom, I put everything that I put up to fix, and now I have to do it again?’” Holley said.
Wendy said she is not going to let her family’s business crumble and plans to keep fighting.
Her mother helped her create a GoFundMe in hopes the community would come together to help get Holley’s Bar-B-Q back on track.