RALEIGH, N.C. — The BBQ staple that started in downtown Raleigh nearly a century ago doesn’t have a secret to success besides serving consistently good BBQ all these years, which has kept customers coming back again and again.

What You Need To Know

• Clyde Cooper’s BBQ opened in 1938

• They are known for their eastern vinegar-based BBQ and fried chicken

• Their hours are determined by when they run out of meat

Fried chicken ready to be served at Cooper's

At 85 years old, Clyde Cooper’s BBQ is one of the oldest and most well-known restaurants on Raleigh’s barbecue scene. Since opening its doors in 1938, it’s become famous for its eastern style BBQ and southern fried chicken. Consistency is the key to its success, cooking as close as possible to the same recipes Clyde Cooper, the original owner, started with decades ago. 

“Everybody I talk to says the food’s great, so I just try to keep that standard and hopefully not let anything change,” Daniel Jessup, the head cook at Cooper’s, said.

Jessup has been the head cook for the past four years, but it’s been a staple in his family for generations before him. He said it’s hard to believe that there are people living in Raleigh who have never heard of Clyde Cooper’s BBQ. 

Daniel Jessup preparing chopped chicken

“Got all the pictures throughout the years and all the celebrities and everything that people have come in,” Jessup said. “So people like seeing that on the walls. There’s always people walking around looking at all the pictures.”

They offer six different types of meat and all kinds of southern sides, but if it gets past two in the afternoon, Jessup recommends calling ahead to make sure there’s still meat left after the lunch rush. When they’re out for the day, he says there’s simply no more to be had. 

“A lot of times, we’ll have people standing outside the door five, ten minutes till 11, waiting to come in,” Jessup said. “So sometimes we’ll close at 2:30, 3, sometimes we’ll be open till 6.”

Although 85 years is no small amount, Jessup says they’re definitely looking forward to being around to celebrate 100. He says their mission is to serve high quality, consistent food with the best customer service possible. 

“We have a lot of people that enjoy the beef brisket, but a lot of people come for that chicken and barbecue,” Jessup said.