Antioch City Council Approves Letter of Intent for Lease with Everett & Jones Barbecue

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council unanimously approve a Letter of Intent for lease with Everett & Jones Barbecue who now will become the new tenant at the old Humphrey’s Restaurant location.

Dorothy Everett and John Jernigan submitted the application under “Everett and Jones Barbecue” and took the first steps towards the doors of the building re-opening for the first time in nearly 3-years at One Marina Plaza after Humphrey’s closed.

Lizette Cepeda highlighted how they are an experienced family owned business with a dedicated clientele and good reputation. The project fits into the downtown specific plan and hopes to expand economic development in Antioch while highlighting they are looking to move out to the Antioch area while getting involved in the community.

Dorothy King highlighted how it was an honor to have this opportunity to accept this offer of lease. She spoke about her mother and how she grew the business.

“Dorthy (Everett) migrated from Alabama to Oakland, my mother had a vision, she always had a vision of one day owning her own restaurant. With $750 dollars that was borrowed 43-years ago, that was all it took to go into a boarded up building, take the boards up and open a restaurant,” explained King. “She had so many kids, she was making $2 an hour, she didn’t want us to not be able to take care of us. With a loan from her best friend, she opened it up and within 3 years there were 3-locations.”

King further highlighted before the Mayor cut her off due to time, that in 1999, she had a similar vision like her mother in taking the boards off a boarded up building and that became Jack London Square which she says is similar to what Antioch has at the Humphrey’s Restaurant location.

Tuesday night, Mayor Wade Harper admitted he has their BBQ sauce and now his secret to good BBQ is out.

“I’ve been to your restaurant and this is going to be such a jewel, such a diamond, we need an anchor location for our downtown to bring business to the downtown area to see the cute little shops, all the businesses downtown. I know you have been successful in Oakland. I love your restaurant and want to welcome you to the city,” said Harper.

Councilman Tony Tiscareno highlighted how this Everett & Jones Barbecue coming to Antioch was a positive for the city.

“This is a positive step and I appreciate you coming to Antioch. I believe this agreement gives both parties responsibility and once you renovate, you are going to have a jewel,” said Tiscareno.

Councilwoman Monica Wilson thanked the owners for coming to Antioch and investing in the community.

The “Letter of Intent” for lease includes a 5-year lease for the 12,400 square foot restaurant at $0.50 per square foot per month during the first 5-years of operation. For a second 5-year lease, the base rent will jump to $1 per square foot per month. They will also accept the building “as is” and will be required to perform “leasehold improvements”.

Everett and Jones have four east bay locations which include two in Oakland, one in Berkeley and one in Hayward. Everett & Jones Barbecue was started by Dorothy Everett with her eight daughters, one son and one son-in-law (Jones) in Oakland, California in 1973.

According to their website, Everett and Jones Barbecue currently offers the following lunch & dinner menu:

Lunch

• Sliced Beef Brisket – $8.05
• Homemade Links – $8.85
• Smoked Chicken – $7.85
• Smoked Pork Ribs – $9.60

Dinner

• Pork Rib Dinner – $19.30
• Homemade Link Dinner – $16.15
• Chicken Dinner – $13.15
• Beef Brisket Dinner – $15.95
• Slab of Pork Ribs – $39.85
• They also offer a series of combination dinners.

According to the staff report, an Everett and Jones Barbecue Restaurant on the San Joaquin River could be an immediate regional draw, bringing in customers from central and east Contra Costa County.

For more information on Everett and Jones Barbecue, visit: www.eandjbbq.com

To view the staff report, click here.