Soon it won't smell like wood smoke and barbecue near the intersection of Samford Avenue and South College Street anymore.
Price's Barbecue, which has been an Auburn installment since 1978, is closing, according to owner Jeff Price. Price said he does not know exactly when it will close, but it could be any time between the end of May and December.
Price, 59, made the decision to sell the property to a developer because of all the recent redevelopment in the City of Auburn.
"I felt like at my age, I needed to take advantage of that," Price said.
Price has owned the property for nearly 30 years. He was a part of the business when it opened, left for a time and returned to run the barbecue house. Price's features a weekday breakfast along with traditional barbecue.
"It's a good living, but it's a tough one as well," Price said.
Price, an Auburn alumnus, said the decision to close was a tough one because he loves the community and his customers who live all over the world. He is working on "taking care" of his employees.
"It's something that I've had to think about for a very long time, and I can't go on forever," Price said. "The timing is just right, as sad as it is."
Its proximity to campus makes the barbecue house a popular spot for students and University staff.
Jamie Gnan, senior in natural resource management, just found out Price's was closing. He said he was "disappointed" and would miss eating breakfast with friends there.
"It's definitely somewhere that I'll come and meet friends for breakfast," Gnan said. "I've done that pretty much since my freshman year."
Price's closing would be "tragic" for Elise Irwin, who works in the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Science. Irwin comes to Price's 3–5 times per week for breakfast or lunch — or both.
"I'd have to eat at home," Irwin said. "There's nowhere else to eat breakfast in this town."
Price said the restaurant could reopen, but under different management. He said he would stick around to make sure the quality remains the same and people have the same experience.
"We may reappear," Price said. "We many not be done yet."
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