Southern Luv BBQ Is Bringing Its Pecan-Smoked Barbecue to Davie, Florida

Florida-grown BBQ concept continues its statewide expansion with a new Broward County location coming soon to Stirling Road

DAVIE, Fla. //  FranchisePR.com  // September 02, 2026 — South Florida is about to get a lot more Southern Luv. Southern Luv BBQ, the fast-casual barbecue concept founded by Chef Essi Tadrus, is bringing its pecan-smoked meats, scratch-made sauces, award-winning sandwiches and Southern hospitality to Davie, with a new restaurant currently under construction at 6819 Stirling Road. It’s the brand’s first location in Broward County and its latest step in a Florida-first expansion that has carried it well beyond its original Tampa restaurant.

Once open, the Davie restaurant will offer dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering and a kids’ menu, with front and rear parking on site. Day-one hours are planned for 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with a final schedule to be confirmed closer to opening. An exact opening date has not yet been announced.

A Brand Built on a Lifelong Love of Barbecue

Southern Luv BBQ traces its roots to Chef Essi Tadrus’s first bite of ribs at a gas station near Fort Hood, Texas, at age five, while his father was stationed there. That early obsession stuck: ribs were nearly all he’d eat for a year, and by 19 he’d opened his first barbecue restaurant. He went on to spend years traveling the South, studying the barbecue traditions of Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee and Florida before bringing everything he’d learned home to Southern Luv BBQ.

That journey shows up on the menu today: pecan-wood smoked brisket, St. Louis-style ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken, and a lineup of signature sandwiches — including the brand’s award-winning Cuban — built to represent different regional barbecue traditions. The sauces are made from scratch and never come out of a can, from the Sweet & Tangy house sauce to the Bama white sauce that headlines the Alabama-Slamma sandwich.

The brand’s guiding principle is simple: Faith. Hospitality. Heart. That last part was on full display after Hurricane Milton knocked out power across Tampa — as soon as Southern Luv’s Citrus Park location had electricity back, Chef Essi and his team fired up the pit and handed out free pulled pork sandwiches and mac and cheese to neighbors who needed a hot meal.

Momentum Behind the Expansion

The Davie location arrives amid a broader wave of growth for Southern Luv BBQ across Florida. The company recently signed a lease for a new restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg’s EDGE District, where the St. Pete-based franchisee behind that deal — a 30-year restaurant industry veteran — has committed to opening 13 Southern Luv BBQ locations throughout Florida, including Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Lakeland and South Florida.

Southern Luv BBQ has also launched a dedicated franchise website, FranchiseSouthernLuvBBQ.com, introducing prospective owners to a business model built for efficient, scalable growth. The concept uses a compact, ventless and hoodless kitchen design of roughly 600 to 1,000 square feet — smaller and simpler to build out than a traditional barbecue restaurant — opening the door to development in inline retail centers, mixed-use projects, food halls, airports, college campuses and other non-traditional locations. The system also leans on AI-powered operational tools to help keep day-to-day operations streamlined.

Southern Luv BBQ is actively seeking qualified franchise partners throughout Florida and the Southeast, for single-unit and multi-unit development alike. As an emerging brand still in the early stages of its franchise rollout, the company says entrepreneurs who get in now have a chance to secure desirable territory and grow alongside the brand as it builds awareness across the region.

Opening Soon in Davie

Southern Luv BBQ Davie is located at 6819 Stirling Road, Davie, FL 33314. The restaurant is currently being built out, with menu, pricing and an official opening date to be announced. Interested guests can get opening updates at southernluvbbq.com/locations/davie and browse the full Southern Luv BBQ menu at southernluvbbq.com/menu.

About Southern Luv BBQ

Southern Luv BBQ is a Florida-based fast-casual barbecue restaurant founded by Chef Essi Tadrus. The brand specializes in premium meats slow-smoked over pecan wood, scratch-made sauces, handcrafted sides and award-winning sandwiches, all served with genuine Southern hospitality. Built around the principles of Faith, Hospitality and Heart, Southern Luv BBQ is expanding throughout Florida through both company and franchise development, with a franchise model designed around compact restaurant footprints, flexible real estate opportunities and a ventless, hoodless kitchen concept. Learn more at southernluvbbq.com, and explore franchise ownership opportunities at franchisesouthernluvbbq.com.

Media Contact

Southern Luv BBQ (813) 945-2443 southernluvbbq.com

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