After weeks of controversy, Dampf Good BBQ has ended its plans for a brick-and-mortar location in downtown Durham.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Dampf Good BBQ Owner Nick Dampf said in a video posted to Instagram he would not open a new restaurant in the former Pit space on Geer Street in Durham.
When the restaurant announced plans for the brick-and-mortar last month, the Bull City subreddit quickly erupted with numerous posts and comments, sharing screenshots of past posts and reshared articles from Dampf and his wife Kimmy on their Facebook pages, which include homophobic and transphobic language and critical views of abortion, drag shows, COVID-era vaccine policies and Critical Race Theory, The News & Observer previously reported.
“We’ve decided not to move forward with the Durham location,” Dampf said in the video. “We feel it’s the best decision for our family, for our employees and just the future of the business.”
Dampf’s history
Dampf had signed a lease to take over a large portion of the former Pit Authentic Barbecue space on Geer Street in Durham, building on the success of a Texas-style food truck that’s earned numerous accolades and even Michelin honors. (The N&O previously reported that Dampf’s lease included a due diligence period that allowed the restaurant to end the agreement without financial penalty.)
In response, many in the Durham community said on social media that they would not support the restaurant because of those views. In an earlier interview with The N&O, Dampf apologized for the political nature of some posts but defended others as rooted in his views of his Christian faith.
“My viewpoints are not rooted in politics, they’re rooted in scripture,” Dampf said in a previous interview. “If I said anything in the last six years that was hyper-political, I’m sorry.”
Dampf Good BBQ’s food truck photographed in Morrisville, NC in 2023. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com Community reaction
The LGBTQ Center of Durham is in the same neighborhood as the former Pit building where Dampf planned to open its restaurant. Co-Director Raye Dooley said they had faith Durham would band together.
“Durham has a really long history of making space for people who are otherwise at the margins,” Dooley said. “With Dampf Good BBQ, you have somebody who is inserting themselves in the community in a way that disregards that legacy and is harmful to people our city holds dear. … It was salt in the wound that someone would move into the neighborhood and be perfectly willing to take money from us, while publically espousing views against people in our community.”
In 2022, the Pioneers Church on the other side of Geer Street faced protests from Durham’s LGBTQ+ community over the pastor’s negative views of same-sex marriage. The church and its coffee shop closed in 2024, and the space was replaced earlier this year by Delancey Tavern.
Also on the other side of Geer Street, Cam Davis opened the Louella wine shop seven years ago, attracted, he said, by the neighborhood feel of the district. Geer Street was jump-started by businesses like Fullsteam Brewery and the first Cocoa Cinnamon coffee shop, and it has continued growing over the years with high rise apartments and new restaurants. Still, Davis said the Geer Street businesses keep a close watch on the district.
“We all keep an eye on each other, for the betterment of Durham and Geer Street. That’s the hope,” Davis said.
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams has been a restaurant owner for nearly a decade; he and his wife Zweli Williams operate Zweli’s Ehkaya in the American Tobacco Campus. The mayor questioned whether Dampf had vetted the city for the business, seeing the two as incongruous.
“You have to look beyond the numbers and look at the culture. … (In Durham) you’re going into quite a progressive city, and in quite a liberal neighborhood,” Williams told The N&O. “Durham made it clear that (Dampf’s) values don’t align with parts of this community, unfortunately. I support everyone expressing their freedom of speech, but do know that others will do the same.”
Since launching the food truck in 2022, Dampf has been looking for a location to open a brick and mortar restaurant. It appears that search will continue: “We’ll move on, we’ll find something else,” he said in the video.
This story has been updated.
This story was originally published October 7, 2026 at 10:39 AM.
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Drew Jackson writes about restaurants and dining for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun, covering the food scene in the Triangle and North Carolina.
