Mighty Quinn’s BBQ Likely to Close: Source

Mighty Quinn’s BBQ will be closing its Upper East Side outpost in the coming year, according to a reliable source who contacted East Side Feed on the condition of anonymity.

Advertisement

Mighty Quinn’s was launched in 2011 by pitmaster Hugh Magnum, serving smoked brisket and sides from a stall at Smorgasburg in Brooklyn. In 2013, along with his stepbrother Micha Magrid, and Magrid’s brother-in-law Christos Gourmos, they opened a stand-alone restaurant at 103 Second Avenue at 6th street in the East Village.

Get Our Free Newsletter for Updates

The restaurant quickly expanded, adding locations throughout the city, including at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, before eventually expanding beyond the city into neighboring states and as far as Dubai. In 2021, they began offering franchise opportunities, billing themselves to potential partners as “one of the fastest growing fast casual barbeque restaurants in the country.”

The Upper East Side location was their seventh and opened at 1492 Second Ave (between 77th and 78th streets) in February 2016. Online reviews for the location are mixed, with a 3.4 on Yelp, 4.1 on Grubhub, and 4.6 on Uber Eats.

The flagship location in the East Village closed its doors after ten years in April 2023. “It is with a heavy heart that we have decided not to renew our lease at this location,” the founders wrote on Facebook at the time, adding that they were unable to keep it open because “many realities have made that path impractical.”

Advertisement

While the Upper East Side location has not officially confirmed the rumored closure, a representative from Mighty Quinn’s corporate office told East Side Feed that the ten-year lease on that location is coming up this year. When asked if they would be renewing, they replied that they are “not 100% in either direction.” The rep said that the landlord would likely negotiate, but also that they would not be surprised if the space was advertised for lease in the near future.

The rep said it had been ten years and “we all know what inflation has done over those ten years.” Not encouraging words for fans of their slow-cooked meats, corned bread, mac n’ cheese and other southern BBQ specialties. We will be sure to provide updates as we get more information.

Have a news tip? Send it to us here!