Royal Rib House Closing After 50 Years In Bed-Stuy

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN -- A Halsey Street rib house that has become an institution in Bed-Stuy is closing down after 50 years in the neighborhood, a real estate listing shows.

Owners of Royal Rib House have decided to retire and put their building at 303 Halsey St. on the market, according to a Realtor.com listing posted Tuesday.

Royal Rib House was best known for the long line of customers that snaked out the door, as well as the warm welcome and spicy barbecue those customers found inside.

"Besides the courtesy I receive every time I come, I’m here because the food is excellent,” John White, a loyal customer, told the New York Times for a profile piece in 2016.

“Lots of what was great about Brooklyn when I moved here in 1981 is gone,” added Jezra Kaye. “But just walking in this place is a comfort.”

Patch was unable to reach owners for comment, but they told the Times the business was started by Calvin Grier in the 1960s and run by his daughter Carole and his grandson Jason Barnett.

Grier, who hailed from North Carolina, used to drive around New York City in his taxi looking for storefronts where he could open a soul food restaurant, the Times reported.

The Royal Rib House became a neighborhood staple and, when customers started showing up with empty bottles to fill with Calvin's slow-brewed barbecue sauce, the business expanded into retail, according to the company website.

Calvin's Royal Rib House Barbecue Sauce is available in FoodTown grocery stores across the city, according to Serious Eats.

The Realtor.com listing advertises the Royal Rib House two-family, three-story building as a "great opportunity" for entrepreneurs looking to live above their next business.

The entire building — a two-bedroom apartment on the third floor, one-bedroom apartment on the second floor, ground-floor retail space with restaurant equipment and basement — are for sale.