With traditional Texas, Memphis and Kansas City barbecue styles often as associated with American cuisine internationally as burgers and hot dogs, restaurateurs in different corners of the world have had success tapping into this segment of the dining market.
According to a recent consumer report, the global BBQ restaurant market was valued at $67.4 billion USD in 2025 and is projected to nearly double to $112.8 billion at a CAGR of 5.9% by 2035.
Even so, rising costs, shifting diner trends and a specific situation at a given location means that not every barbecue restaurant or even large chain has managed to stay afloat.
Bodean’s BBQ restaurant group abruptly closes all London locations
This week, local press in the United Kingdom reported that cult barbecue chain Bodean’s has closed all three of its locations in London more than 20 years after Canadian restauranteur André Blais opened the first one.
Launched in the touristy Soho neighborhood in 2002, Bodean’s was prior to the barbecue popularity boom that came in the following decades one of the only places in London to get traditional Kansas City-style slow-smoked meats and giant sharing platters as well as some meats and popular items from other barbecuing styles, such as Texas hot links.
Related: 52-year-old international restaurant chain closing all locations
Locations in London’s Tower Hill and Camden neighborhoods were opened later amid the success of the Soho location. The restaurant group had eight operating locations in London at its peak but restaurants in Clapham, Balham, Old Street and Covent Garden would end up getting shut down over the years.
As of August 11, all three remaining properties are listed as “currently closed” on Google while those who go on the restaurant’s website are greeted with a pop-up that asks guests to accept apologies “for any inconvenience this may cause.”
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“We appreciate your understanding during this time and hope to welcome you again”: Bodean’s BBQ restaurant group
“We sincerely apologise [British spelling] for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank you for your continued support and loyalty,” the full message reads. “We appreciate your understanding during this time and hope to welcome you again in the future.”
Beyond this message, the owners have not elaborated on what led to the abrupt shutdown.
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Amid the closure of multiple underperforming locations throughout the early 2020s, Bodean’s went through a brand upgrade that sought to take the restaurants away from marketing pan-American barbecue and returning to its Kansas City roots.
The restaurants were also known for a large menu of local American beers that are hard to find in the United Kingdom and outside the U.S. in general.
Earlier this month, a separate London chain Bar + Block also announced that it will close all 20 of its locations across the UK by the end of the summer as part of parent company Whitbread’s efforts to streamline its portfolio “in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance.” The streamlining will also lead to the closure of hundreds of Beefeater and Brewers Fayre brewery locations, with plans to convert some into restaurants attached to the hotel chain Premier Inn.
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