PRIME smokehouse Ed Wiley III and Yalem Kiros stand outside the entrance to The Prime Smokehouse: Barbecue & Beyond at the Rocky Mount Mills.
The Prime Smokehouse: Barbecue &
location began serving customers.
the rhythm of the restaurant.”
Beyond recently relocated to a much larger
“I did a sneaky opening,” he said with a
“You always need to establish the rhythm
space at the Rocky Mount Mills after having
smile. “I didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t
of a new place because if you open it when
been downtown along East Thomas Street
want to be overwhelmed. And I knew we
you’re trying to figure out all these moving
since 2013.
would be overwhelmed.
pieces, then it will crash and burn,” he said.
The Prime Smokehouse is on the bottom
“I didn’t put it out to the universe. I didn’t
floor of the main brick building of the Rocky
even do a Facebook post. We’re not on the
Mount Mills, adjacent to the building’s lobby,
radio with it,” he said.
on the south side of the Tar River. Ed Wiley III, 61, and his wife, Yalem Kiros, 58, own the restaurant.
Wiley said that rhythm is getting better. As for how business has been so far, Wiley said, “It has been incredible. And I’m glad it
Wiley made clear the thinking was, “We’re
hasn’t been any more incredible than it has
just going to open it and let word of mouth
been right now because there were a lot of
sort of just create a trickle that would allow
pieces to this puzzle.”
Wiley said that the location downtown
me to be able to take and train staff, to hire
Wiley said one piece of the puzzle that was
was closed roughly a month before the new
staff on a steady basis and to be able to get
filled is offering complimentary valet parking.
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