JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jenkins Quality Barbecue opened in 1957, as one of the only Black-owned barbecue spots in Jacksonville.
The business almost didn’t make it, as the owners struggled to find a bank that would give them a loan due to their race, but today, more than 60 years later, great-grandchildren of the founders are still in the kitchen stirring up the sauce.
"My grandfather gave my father the recipe for the sauce," said Wilhelmina Brown, daughter of the founder and current COO.
Four generations later...
"We never changed the recipe for the sauce," Brown said. "We never changed how we cooked it. Everything is still the same from 1957."
Melton Jenkins Jr. and his wife Willie Mae started the Jenkins' family business. In the late 50s and early 60s, being a Black entrepreneur in Jacksonville was a monumental challenge.
"It was hard for them to get loans from banks. And so finally somebody took an interest and decided that they would give him that opportunity. But we had to go from one place to another to get what we needed because we were Black," Brown said.
Brown began working with her parents when she was still a teenager.
"My mother would work in the day, and my father would work at night," Brown said. "We had to make sauce, and if we’re making sauce, we had to go to work Friday and Saturday nights. And we didn’t get off work until 3 a.m."
Another reason for success—family.
"We really keep it simple, and that’s kinda the essence we try to keep it on. I think that’s why we’ve been having the success, especially through the COVID times," said Jason May, operations manager.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau Annual Business Survey, just over 18% of all business in American are minority-owned.
Family believe the Jenkins' story could be an example of success for other Black entrepreneurs.
"Like my grandfather said, $125, God and a dream. It can be done, it’s just hard work, and you just got to stay focused," manager Jovon Brown said.
To learn more about the business and the sauce, visit their website here.