History
The Building of a Legend
King’s Restaurant has roots reaching back three-quarters of a century. It takes time to create the legend of the finest Eastern North Carolina barbeque and Southern food for miles around. Here is our story:
In 1936 Frank King moved his family to a small one-horse farm (the present site of King’s Restaurant) and built a country store/filling station on U.S. Highway 70 in front of the farm to supplement his income. Shortly afterward, Frank King became ill and died. His son, Wilbur King Sr., took over running the store, adding a pool room and a pot-bellied stove in the back, and the first King’s food operation was born. Pool players ate makeshift meals by heating up canned goods from the country store on the stove. But in 1941 world events put Wilbur’s plans for the country store on pause when he was drafted by the Navy to serve in World War II. When he returned from service overseas, Wilbur came back to work at the country store, adding a hot dog plate that would be a springboard into the restaurant business. On February 13th, 1946, King’s sold their first hot dog to jubilant new father P.E. Shoulars, who was on his way home from the hospital.
In 1947 Wilbur King Sr. transitioned the country store to a cafe and began a lifelong love affair with pork. He added a grill to the pool room, added barbeque pork to the menu, and partnered with his brothers Lawrence and Victor to become King Brothers Barbecue. In the early days, Pit-master Alonzo Hicks prepared the pork in his barn and delivered the meat to the store cafe to be chopped and served. A barbeque pit was soon added to the store.
During the 1950’s as the small cafe grew, it became a popular hangout for local teenagers, who often brought their best girl to listen to the jukebox belt out hits like Frankie Laine’s “Mule Train,” while wolfing down hot dogs, barbeque sandwiches and milkshakes. People with fond memories of King Brothers Barbecue at that time also recall the back parking lot - which once enjoyed a reputation as the most famous “Love’s Lane” in Eastern North Carolina!
The 1960’s were all about growth and change for what was now known as King’s Bar-B-Que and Restaurant. The King Brothers added a kitchen and dining room, while still using the grill and counter concept. And even though the seating capacity was up to almost 300, King’s never lost its focus of down-home country cooking, a family atmosphere, and friendly service. When U.S. Highway 70 expanded to four lanes, King’s had to lose the service station, but it gained millions of visitors who were traveling back and forth along the Crystal Coast, looking for that perfect break in their trip. King’s Restaurant is now serving third and fourth generations of travelers!
The 1970’s brought the biggest changes of all. In 1973 Wilbur Sr. passed away and in ’79 and ’81 both Lawrence and Victor retired. Wilbur’s son, Wilbur King Jr. because the new owner. Shortly afterwards King’s Restaurant grew to a seating capacity of more than 800, gaining the capacity to host special events - including local high school proms!
In 1996 the demand for King’s barbeque was so great from pork lovers who couldn’t make the pilgrimage to Kinston that Wilbur King Jr. took to the road, catering meals from New York to Miami, and launching Oink Express - a shipping business that now delivers barbeque, ribs, black-eyed peas and collards to all 50 states.
In 2004, Wilbur King Jr, turned Kings over to veteran employee Joe Hargitt of 25 years. You can still see Wilbur at the restaurant on most days, where he’s a consultant on day-to-day operations.
In 2011 the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce recognized a huge milestone for King’s Bar-B-Que and Restaurant - marking 75 years since the King family’s humble beginnings as a country store to the legendary landmark King’s has become. King’s Restaurant has had many homes over the years, but over three generations, the values have stayed the same - great Southern food with original home-cooked family recipes, friendly faces, and fantastic service! Today King’s Restaurant feeds barbeque lovers locally and nationwide with 8,000 pounds of pork, 6,000 pounds of chicken, and 1,500 pounds of collards per week!