Mr. Powdrell’s Barbecue House, an institution in Albuquerque for over 60 years, will shutter its final location just eight months after closing its Central Avenue (aka Route 66) restaurant.
Mr. Powdrell’s will close its location at 5209 Fourth St. (aka Route 66) on the city’s north side on June 29, though it will host a farewell celebration on July 4, reported the Albuquerque Business Journal (subscription required).
It blamed the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages and rising costs for its shutdown.
Mr. Powdrell’s won’t disappear entirely from Albuquerque. It plans to do some catering, and it will continue to sell its barbecue sauce in stores.
Here’s the announcement by the restaurant:
Mr. Powdrell’s closed its Central Avenue location in September for the same reasons cited earlier.
Mr. Powdrell’s roots go back to Louisiana in the 19th century when Isaac Britt, grandfather of Pete Powdrell, developed the sauce and its slow-cooking methods over hickory wood. Mr. Powdrell’s opened its first restaurant in Albuquerque in 1962.
Pete Powdrell died at age 86 in 2007.
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