Southern Luv BBQ Just Made a Major Move in Tampa — And This Is Only the Beginning.

Southern Luv BBQ Awards First Multi-Unit Development Package for Greater Tampa — Florida Franchise Expansion Accelerates

Tampa, FL // FranchisePR.com // June 4, 2026 — Southern Luv BBQ, the fast-growing Florida BBQ franchise concept built on real smoke, original from-scratch sauces, and a kitchen model designed for today’s market, has just awarded a multi-unit development package for the greater Tampa area — marking a landmark milestone for the brand as it accelerates its Florida franchise expansion.

For Founder and CEO Chef Essi Tadrus, this moment is personal. “I had my first real BBQ rib at five years old near Ft. Hood, Texas — and honestly, I never got over it,” says Chef Essi. “Everything I’ve built since then has been about chasing that feeling and figuring out how to share it with as many people as possible. Awarding this Tampa development package is one of the proudest moments of my career. Tampa is a world-class food city, and Southern Luv BBQ belongs here.”

The brand Chef Essi built is anything but traditional. Southern Luv BBQ operates out of a compact 600–1,000 square foot footprint using a ventless, hoodless kitchen system — meaning franchisees can open in food halls, airports, college campuses, urban retail corridors, and inline shopping centers where conventional BBQ brands simply cannot compete.

“Most BBQ concepts are stuck in the past — huge buildouts, massive overhead, slow everything,” Chef Essi explains. “I wanted to build something that had the soul of authentic Southern BBQ but was engineered for the way people eat and live today. Fast. Flexible. Accessible. And absolutely uncompromising on flavor.”

That flavor profile is the result of years of culinary travel across Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee, and Florida — with Chef Essi studying regional traditions and developing an award-winning lineup of pecan-smoked meats and signature sauces including Sweet & Tangy, Sweet Carolina, Bama White Sauce, and Florida Sweet Heat. Every sauce is made from scratch. Nothing pre-made, nothing canned — ever.

“When someone takes that first bite, I want them to stop what they’re doing,” says Chef Essi. “That’s what real BBQ does. It makes you pause. That’s what we deliver — every location, every time.”

With the greater Tampa territory now committed, Southern Luv BBQ is actively seeking franchise partners across Florida for both single-unit licenses and multi-unit development packages. The brand’s Florida-first strategy is deliberate — strong population growth, booming food culture, and a consumer base hungry for bold, authentic flavors make it an ideal launchpad for national expansion.

Prospective franchisees ready to explore available Florida territories are encouraged to learn more now. The window is open. But it won’t stay that way long.