Morris Barbeque in Hookerton is set to reopen its doors on Saturday, October 10, ending a months-long closure caused by a July storm that sent a tree crashing into the historic building. The family-run pit, a fixture in Greene County since 1931, announced the reopening in a social media post, thanking family, friends, customers and community members for their support during the shutdown.
The damage was significant. According to WCTI, a tree fell on the building during the July storm, and the owners spent months cleaning up and making repairs before they could reopen. A separate report from WNCT-TV found that the July 10 storm caused extensive roof and interior structural damage, destroying an estimated $10,000 worth of equipment and food inventory.
Part of what made the repairs so complicated was the age of the structure itself. Rebuilding efforts were delayed because contractors faced challenges restoring structural framing on the historic 70-year-old building, the owners told the station in a separate report. The current building has stood in Hookerton since 1956, and matching new framing to the old required more time than expected, stretching what began as a summer closure into an autumn reopening.
A Tradition That Started With a Mule and a Cart
Morris Barbeque's roots go back nearly a century. Founder Willie McKinley “Pop” Morris first began peddling barbecue in Hookerton in 1931, during the Great Depression, selling pork cooked over charcoal under a tobacco shelter from a mule and cart before eventually opening a permanent shop, according to the Southern Foodways Alliance. The current building, erected 25 years later in 1956, has housed the operation ever since.
The business remains a family affair. Current owner William Morris Jr., who was born the same year the present restaurant building went up, manages operations alongside his daughter Ashley Morris Godley and her husband Ryan, per reporting from The Smoke Sheet. Third- and fourth-generation family members now run day-to-day operations at the pit their great-grandfather started with little more than a mule and a fire.
Why Saturdays Only Made the Closure Sting
Part of what makes the reopening feel significant to regulars is the restaurant's unusual rhythm. Morris Barbeque operates exclusively on Saturday mornings into early afternoon, according to Barbecue Bros. William Morris Jr. works as a professional landscaper, the Southern Foodways Alliance reports. The food routinely sells out before closing time, meaning the July storm didn't just shutter a restaurant — it interrupted a weekly ritual for its local following.
Hookerton itself leaned into that legacy years ago. The town officially renamed the road housing the smokehouse “Morris BBQ Road,” with the address now listed as 891 Morris BBQ Rd, in recognition of the establishment's deep regional heritage, the Southern Foodways Alliance reports.
Whole-Hog Tradition
The menu still centers on classic Eastern North Carolina whole-hog barbecue, seasoned and chopped, according to The State You're In.
For a restaurant that opens just one day a week on a road bearing its own name, October 10 marks its return after months of storm repairs.
