Why An Iconic Memphis BBQ Restaurant Turned Elvis Away

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Elvis Presley had quite the appetite for life, whether it was for outlandish jumpsuits, customized Cadillacs, or a dozen of his favorite fast-food burgers from Krystal. But there was one hometown restaurant that Presley wasn't able to patronize in person, no matter how much he wanted to. Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous, one of the most legendary barbecue spots in Memphis, has been a downtown institution since 1948. Located to this day in a basement, just steps through a downtown alley from the iconic Peabody Hotel, the Rendezvous is famous for its dry rub ribs.

Presley often had a hankering for its ribs, but he never physically went to the location. John Vergos, the founder's son, has a pretty good explanation for why. In the book "Elvis Style," he said, "Elvis loved our ribs. However, he never came to The Rendezvous. Elvis always wanted to rent the whole place out and my father didn't want to lose customers so he refused." Understandably, with a seated capacity of around 250 people, the restaurant would lose money, no matter how much barbecue Presley and his crew put down. But instead of refusing Presley outright, Vergos had a solution: "Instead, we would courier our ribs out to Graceland for Elvis to enjoy."

Before the days of DoorDash and Uber Eats, this was quite a special delivery. Like many celebrities, Presley preferred privacy when eating out, so it's no wonder he asked for special treatment. Though his home-cooked meals at Graceland are quite infamous, he also loved eating at his favorite restaurants around the country.

While we don't know Presley's exact Rendezvous order, we do know he loved picking up the phone and ordering a whole bunch of ribs for family and friends. If you want to live large like the King and aren't afraid to spend a pretty penny, you yourself can actually order slabs of the famous Rendezvous ribs right to your front door. The restaurant packs them on dry ice, fully cooked and frozen, then ships overnight. No sides are included, though, so you'll have to make your own potato salad and mustard vinegar-based slaw.

Memphis-style barbecue is certainly in a world of its own, with a focus on pork, charcoal cooking, and dry spice blends. Rendezvous itself is credited for making a dry rub preparation the standard in the city, which uses everything from allspice to mustard seeds to coriander, with plenty of paprika to give it that signature bold red color. The city also boasts more than 100 barbecue restaurants, so you'll need a Presley-sized appetite to try them all. 

Though the Rendezvous ribs are up there as one of Presley's favorite foods, he also liked his barbecue on pizza. In fact, he could also be credited for popularizing barbecue pork pizza, as the restaurant he used to order it from every week is still around today as well. Coletta's, an Italian restaurant, lives on as Memphis's oldest restaurant — with a little help from the King.