MILTON, Del.- A beloved local barbecue joint is saying goodbye, for now.
Sunday October 20th was Smokin D'z' last day at its Cave Neck Road and Route One lot. The Pit BBQ and Smoker truck says it's looking for a new place to call home.
"We started this bbq 14 years ago with the goal of raising our children in a business that genuinely serves people and our community," a post from owner Katherine Birl states. "Over the years we have served thousands of great customers and have been blessed to be able to donate literally tons of food to our local homeless shelters."
Birl praised the property owner, the Hudson family, for letting them "stay on the property as long as we could."
Christian Hudson tells CoastTV that Smokin D'z, along with the other tenants, are moving due to required site plan improvements approved in 2021.
"We worked very hard with local stakeholders and the community to achieve this site plan approval. We have also worked very hard with our tenants to find new locations in the immediate vicinity," a statement reads in part. "In one case we assisted with help developing their own land to relocate them to. We have been very transparent for 6 years that this property would be developed. Our tenants have been awesome. I would love to tell you we could keep them there forever and still retain our property rights. Unfortunately, that is not possible under the current Sussex County code for site plan approvals."
The approved site plan included 128 multi-family units as well as a shopping center, with a potential pharmacy.
Smokin D'z says it is actively looking for a new space and anyone with ideas is welcome to contact them.