GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) - An iconic North Carolina restaurant has reopened its doors more than a year after it was shut down due to its tax debt.
Wilber’s Barbecue in Goldsboro welcomed customers once again on Wednesday, news outlets reported. Since opening in 1962, the restaurant has developed a reputation as an important stop for politicians, locals and barbecue-seeking tourists.
It closed in March 2019 due to a tax liability totaling more than $70,000, according to the Wayne County Clerk of Court. That’s when Willis Underwood, a businessman in Goldsboro, formed Goldpit Partners, a group of the restaurant’s fans. They purchased Wilber’s last year and worked to restore it.
“This has been a labor of love, and an opportunity to save this legendary institution that lives large in all of our memories,” Underwood said in a news release reported by The News & Observer.
The restaurant is currently operating four days a week, and offers only take-out options.
“As soon as safely possible, we look forward to fully opening and welcoming customers inside,” Underwood told WRAL-TV.
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