A Lexington barbecue restaurant is temporarily closed but they are going to reopen in a couple of weeks. Belly’s Southern Pride located at 2508 Augusta Hwy. across from Lexington High School closed their doors temporarily on March 30.

The barbecue restaurant which also does catering has been at the current location since 2003. Tommy Shealy began the restaurant that year with his wife, Gloria Shealy, and ran it through 2015. Shealy says his nickname is Belly which he says his daughter thought to name the restaurant after his nickname.

“We just made a change of management,” Shealy said. “We hope to reopen in two weeks with the original Belly’s recipe.”

The restaurant is known for its barbecued meats and southern style sides and Shealy is looking forward to coming back to the restaurant. Chris Hyler was the executive chef since 2017 but he won’t be with the restaurant when it reopens. 

The restaurant closed due to the landlord’s termination of lease, according to  a former employee. The former employee said a 30-day termination notice was given which abides by state law.

The time from when Shealy opened his restaurant to now has changed with respect to his neighbors. Next to Belly’s Southern Pride now stands Boho Pizza and Brew which opened late last year. The family-friendly pizza and ice cream restaurant opened in the vacant spot after The Farmer’s Shed closed almost a decade ago. 

Next to Boho’s is a small women’s boutique which recently opened.