Dampf Good BBQ Backs Out of Durham Expansion Following Community Backlash

DURHAM, N.C. — What began as the announcement of a highly acclaimed barbecue restaurant coming to downtown Durham quickly became a much larger conversation about faith, inclusion, community values and the relationship between business owners and the communities they hope to serve.

Dampf Good BBQ, a Michelin-recommended Texas-style barbecue operation based in Cary, has abandoned plans to open its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Durham following weeks of controversy surrounding past social media posts by owner Nick Dampf and his wife, Kimmy.

The restaurant had planned to occupy the former Pit Authentic Barbecue location at 321 W. Geer Street, bringing new life to a prominent space that had remained vacant since the pandemic. The Durham restaurant was expected to open as early as late December or early January.

That excitement, however, quickly turned into controversy.

After the expansion was announced, past social media posts associated with the Dampfs began circulating online. According to WUNC, those posts included opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and gender diversity, support for traditional gender roles and opposition to COVID-era vaccine mandates.

The posts drew particular attention because of the restaurant’s planned location along Geer Street, an area with a visible LGBTQ+ community and a recent history of controversy surrounding businesses and organizations whose religious beliefs conflicted with LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Criticism spread across social media, and questions emerged about whether LGBTQ+ customers and others who disagreed with the owners’ beliefs would feel welcomed inside the restaurant.

Dampf pushed back against suggestions that his religious beliefs meant customers would be excluded.

In an interview with WUNC, he said that people would not be mistreated or turned away from the restaurant because they belonged to groups with whom he may have religious disagreements. He argued that people can disagree on social and religious issues without hating one another.

Dampf has also said some of the political posts were made during the turbulent early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. While apologizing for statements he characterized as overly political, he has continued to defend his religious beliefs as being rooted in his interpretation of Christianity.

Dampf Good BBQ itself makes its religious identity clear. Its website describes its mission as advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and says the company seeks to put people before profits and serve families as its own.

On Wednesday, Dampf confirmed the company would not move forward with the Durham restaurant.

“We have decided not to move forward with the Durham location,” Dampf said in a Facebook video, explaining that he believed the decision was best for his family, employees and the future of the business.

Dampf has also said his family and business received threats during the controversy. In announcing the decision, he said the family was not attempting to portray itself as a martyr and instead wanted to operate a family business.

The company will continue operating from its current location at Phillips Farms in Cary.

The controversy leaves Durham with a question extending well beyond barbecue.

What responsibility does a business have to understand the community it hopes will support it?

Business owners have personal religious and political beliefs. Customers also have the ability to determine where they spend their money, which businesses they support and whether a company’s public values align with their own.

For communities that historically have relied on economic solidarity and community support, that relationship can carry particular significance. Local businesses don’t simply sell products. They employ residents, sponsor organizations, participate in neighborhood events and become part of the cultural fabric surrounding them.

Durham itself has a long history of community activism and organizing. That history means the arrival of a new business can involve questions beyond what is being served across the counter.

At the same time, Dampf’s position raises another question: Can a business owner hold religious or political views that differ sharply from many members of the surrounding community while still creating a space where everyone is treated equally?

Dampf maintains the answer is yes. Some Durham residents who opposed the restaurant’s arrival clearly were not convinced.

Both realities are part of this story.

Ultimately, Dampf Good BBQ decided that opening its restaurant in Durham was no longer the right move.

But the discussion surrounding its brief plans to come to the Bull City highlights something businesses entering Durham would be wise to understand: opening a storefront means entering into a relationship with a community.

And in Durham, community has never been a passive participant.