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<p><strong>By Delayna Earley</strong></p>
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<p><strong>The Island News</strong></p>
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<p>BEAUFORT – Dukes Barbecue of Beaufort closed its doors for good on Friday, Feb. 3.</p>
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<p>The restaurant, located at 1509 Salem Road, posted on social media Friday that it would be permanently closing at 8 p.m. that day, but it ended up closing several hours early because it ran out of food due to customers flooding the restaurant to get barbecue one last time.</p>
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<p>“I gave out thank you notes to the customers to show them my appreciation for their loyalty,” said Jeanne Powell, an employee who has worked for the restaurant for 20 years.</p>
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<p>Powell said she has done a little bit of everything while working at the restaurant and that she has never missed a day of work.</p>
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<p>An employee said that they were informed of the closure on Thursday and were told that the restaurant just could not stay open any longer due to rising costs.</p>
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<p><em>Delayna Earley lives in Beaufort with her husband, two children and Jack Russell. She spent six years&nbsp; as a videographer and photographer for The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette before leaving the Lowcountry in 2018. After freelancing in Myrtle Beach and Virginia, she joined The Island News when she moved back to Beaufort in 2022. She can be reached at </em><a href="mailto:delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com"><em>delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com</em></a><em>.&nbsp;</em></p>
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