Norfolk BBQ joint BarQ opening Richmond spot in former Starlite space on Main St.

The space was most recently home to SB’s Main Street Love Shack. (Mike Platania photo)

In the early 2000s, shortly after graduating from the University of Florida where he played defensive tackle on the Gators’ football team, Jayme Campbell found himself in Richmond. He’d had a job at Circuit City, but the then-Henrico-based electronics chain was collapsing, so he took a gig working in the Fan as a bouncer at Starlite Dining & Lounge at 2600 W. Main St.

Now, decades later, Campbell is preparing to open a restaurant of his own in the same building at the corner of Main and Robinson streets. 

Campbell recently leased the space for a Richmond outpost of his barbecue concept, Bar-Q. Along with Starlite, the space was previously home to Brunch and most recently SB’s Main Street Love Shack. 

A Florida native, Campbell said he grew up watching his late grandmother cook barbecue on an open pit for the family. 

Jayme Campbell

“That was just a normal occasion for me, it’s what I saw her do,” Campbell said. “As I got older I realized that was bad-ass. She was manning an open fire as an old woman, and the family came over to eat. I gained a lot more respect for it as I got older.”

In adulthood, he began experimenting with smoking meats for friends and family. Campbell eventually linked up with Chris Fultz, co-owner of Scott’s Addition’s ZZQ. Campbell said he and Fultz used to travel to barbecue competitions around the state in the early 2010s. 

Campbell turned barbecue from a hobby into a career in 2017, when he launched Bar-Q in Norfolk. It was initially a pop-up, and since 2019 it’s been based out of Norfolk’s Bold Mariner Brewing Co. 

Campbell, who now lives in Richmond, said he’s been thinking of giving Bar-Q its own dedicated space since the pop-up days. 

​​”We’ve always thought that it would be cool to have an awesome bar and serve barbecue,” he said. “We always knew that we wanted to create that vision and be able to pull it off on our own.”

The 2,000-square-foot space on West Main Street came available in the spring when SB’s closed after two years in business to focus on its Lakeside location. Campbell recently finalized a lease on it, with Thalhimer’s Annie O’Connor, Danielle Beckstoffer and Katie Siegel representing the landlord in the deal. 

Campbell said Bar-Q makes a variety of regional barbecue styles. (Courtesy Bar-Q)

When he started Bar-Q, Campbell said he focused heavily on Texas-style brisket barbecue, but that’s not the case anymore. While Bar-Q still offers brisket, Campbell said he makes all kinds of regional styles, including Kansas and North Carolina. 

“We just don’t want to get tied into a certain category, because what I’ve learned is everyone eats barbecue differently,” Campbell said. “I’d say we love all styles of barbecue. I’d say we’re a mesh.”

Campbell said a few poultry dishes are likely to be on the Richmond menu and he may also bring back the burritos, tacos and grilled cheese sandwiches that Bar-Q served in its early days as a pop-up. 

“But we haven’t finalized the menu yet,” he said. “We’re still working on it.”

Bar-Q will operate with counter service and include a bar with beer taps and a few specialty drinks. Campbell said its tentative hours will be from around 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

“We’re not going after a late-night crowd,” he said. 

Campbell said the space doesn’t need major renovations and he’s aiming to open by the end of the year. The Norfolk operation will continue. 

BarQ will have another new competitor in the neighborhood, as Hayden Fisher is preparing to open Brickwood Barbecue in the former F.W. Sullivan’s space at 2401 W. Main St.