07/23/2026
After more than seven decades, Hop’s Bar-B-Q will be closing its doors.
Since opening in 1952, Hop’s Bar-B-Q has been much more than a restaurant. It has been a gathering place for families, friends, employees, and generations of loyal customers…a place filled with familiar faces, hard work, laughter, shared meals, and countless memories.
We will remain open Wednesday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., through August 29, 2026. We hope this gives everyone an opportunity to come in, enjoy another meal, visit with familiar faces, share stories, and reflect on the many special memories created at Hop’s throughout the years.
Jerry Southard began working for Burrell Hopkins at Hop’s when he was only 14 years old. He learned the business from the ground up and eventually purchased it, dedicating his life to carrying it forward and making it what generations of customers came to know and love. Jerry was the heart of Hop’s Bar-B-Q; his personality, generosity, determination, and passion became part of everything the restaurant represented.
Through countless highs and lows, Jerry continued moving the business forward. He cared deeply about the food, the customers, the employees, and the community surrounding Hop’s. For Jerry, this was never simply a restaurant or a way to earn a living…it was part of who he was.
Jerry and his wife, Lila, were married shortly after high school and built their life together while working side by side to maintain the success of Hop’s. Lila played an essential role in keeping the business operating; together, they faced every challenge that came their way. Their commitment to one another, their family, the restaurant, and the community was the foundation that allowed Hop’s to continue for so many years.
Jerry cared about much more than running a successful business. He believed deeply in supporting the local community, often doing more than many people ever realized. Whenever a local family experienced a death, hardship, or difficult season, Jerry and Lila made sure barbecue and other food were delivered to help care for that family during its time of need.
Jerry and Lila also made sure local churches, schools, charities, and community organizations had affordable serving options when they needed food for an event, fundraiser, or gathering. They frequently provided meals at or near cost, and sometimes at a loss, because supporting the community was more important to them than making a profit.
Jerry’s kindness also showed through in the everyday ways he helped people. He gave customers rides home when they needed one; he allowed people to keep a tab and pay later when money was tight, even knowing that some balances might never be fully paid. For Jerry, taking care of people often mattered more than whether a decision made perfect business sense.
He regularly placed the needs of customers, employees, friends, and local families ahead of his own. He believed in giving people a chance, helping whenever he could, and doing what he felt was right. That generosity and compassion were simply part of who Jerry was.
Jerry’s sister, Kathy Cooper, also dedicated more than 40 years of her life to Hop’s Bar-B-Q. Her loyalty, hard work, sacrifice, and commitment were instrumental in the longevity of the business. Kathy helped carry Hop’s through many different seasons and challenges; her contributions can never be fully measured.
Jeremy, Derrick, and Amber Southard, along with other family members, have also worked extremely hard for decades to support the business and preserve what Jerry, Lila, and Kathy dedicated so much of their lives to building. Continuing a family business with this much history has required tremendous personal sacrifice, long hours, and a willingness to keep moving forward, even during the most difficult circumstances.
The building itself also carries a long history within Asheboro. Before becoming home to Hop’s, it originally housed Sunset Service Station and Smith Taxi, and later served as McGill’s Taxi and Bus Station. In 1954, Burrell Hopkins established Hop’s Bar-B-Q in the building and operated the restaurant until his retirement in 1982. Jerry began working for Burrell as a teenager and later carried the business forward for decades, helping create the lasting legacy the community knows today.
Jerry unexpectedly passed away in February 2025, leaving behind a loss that could never truly be filled. Hop’s lost far more than its owner; it lost the person whose presence, passion, relationships, and commitment had guided the business for most of its history.
Following Jerry’s passing, the challenges facing the business became increasingly difficult to overcome. Kathy also reached a point where she needed to retire and spend more time with her husband as he continues his fight against cancer…a difficult journey that far too many families understand.
We have pursued many different paths and tried numerous approaches in hopes of keeping Hop’s Bar-B-Q open. We have changed staffing, adjusted management, invested additional time and resources, modified operations, and continued searching for a sustainable way forward. Unfortunately, despite those efforts, the challenges have proven too significant to overcome.
The business has faced substantial operational challenges; the age and condition of the building have created ongoing maintenance, infrastructure, and structural difficulties; operating costs have continued to rise; the economy has changed; customer expectations have evolved; and finding a dependable labor force with the commitment required to operate a restaurant like this has become increasingly difficult.
The building and structural challenges became more than our family could reasonably manage while also handling the daily demands of operating the restaurant. We explored many different options, invested significant time and resources, and worked hard to find a path forward; unfortunately, the combined challenges became too great to overcome.
We recognize that customer needs and expectations have changed over the years, and we have worked hard to adjust while still preserving the character, traditions, and history that made Hop’s special. Balancing those expectations with the realities of an aging building, staffing difficulties, rising expenses, and daily operational demands has become unsustainable.
Ultimately, it is the combination of these operational, financial, staffing, building, structural, and economic challenges that has made it impossible for us to continue operating Hop’s Bar-B-Q in a sustainable manner.
This decision was not made lightly. Closing a business with this much history is incredibly painful because Hop’s represents far more than a building, a menu, or a name. It represents the beginning established by Burrell Hopkins, Jerry and Lila’s lifelong dedication, Kathy’s more than 40 years of service, and the hard work of the family members and employees who helped carry the business forward.
It also represents generations of customers who brought their families here, celebrated milestones here, met friends here, worked here, shared stories here, and made Hop’s part of their own family traditions.
To every person who has worked here, eaten here, brought your family here, supported us through difficult times, shared a kind word, or simply stopped by for a familiar meal…thank you.
We invite everyone to visit us Wednesday through Saturday, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., through August 29, 2026, to enjoy Hop’s Bar-B-Q again and help us celebrate the memories, friendships, community, and history that have made this place so special.
As this announcement is shared, we respectfully ask that comments remain positive and considerate. We understand that everyone may have had different experiences or expectations over the years; however, we hope this can be a time to honor the people who dedicated their lives to Hop’s, remember the good times, share meaningful memories, and support the family and employees during this difficult transition.
The doors may be closing, but the generosity, friendships, memories, and legacy created here will remain part of this community for generations.
Most importantly, we hope Jerry will always be remembered as the heart of Hop’s Bar-B-Q…a man who cared deeply for his family, his customers, his employees, and his community.
From our family to yours, thank you for more than 70 years of support, loyalty, friendship, and memories.
