Jackβs Original Barbecue is enjoying a second wind and wonβt close this summer as expected, said owner Greg Boccardo.
The Tucson barbecue institution β itβs been around since 1950 β has seen a significant jump in business since news came out in May that it might close.
βThere was no way we were going to make it through summer. If you know restaurants in Tucson, summers are brutal, and we were going into the summer in the hole,β Boccardo said.
Boccardo has owned Jackβs with his brother Steve and father Larry for 15 years. The family put the business up for sale several months ago and had determined they would have to close by summer if they had no buyers.
But once word got, βwe got really busy,β Boccardo said.
βPeople started flooding in. They were saying, βOh you canβt closeβ,β he said.
βWeβve made it halfway through summer. I told my brother, if we could just survive July and August ... we may be able to survive another year,β he said.
Boccardo is hoping he can keep Jackβs running long enough for the economy to rebound, which could boost his catering business.Before the recession took hold, Jackβs catering brought in a bulk of the restaurantβs revenues.
βWeβre not out of the weeds yet, but if we can get through the next two months of summer, we may be able to give this a ride,β Boccardo said. βWe donβt really want to shut it down.β
Jackβs, 5250 E.22nd St., is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cathalena E. Burch
