The Barbecue Pit

The first Barbecue Pit family restaurant opened on December 16, 1947, inside the Maryland Hotel on 6th Avenue in downtown San Diego. It was started by Joe and Lila Browning and Ed and Mella Jenson—two couples, with Lila and Mella being sisters.

Joe Browning came to San Diego during World War II while serving in the U.S. Navy. Here, he met and married Lila Coates. Originally from Texas, Joe had learned the barbecue trade from his stepfather, R.T. Shoemaker, who owned several “Shoemaker’s Barbecue” restaurants in the Dallas area. After the war, one scorching Texas summer was all it took to convince Joe and Lila to make San Diego their home.

Pooling their resources, Joe and his brother-in-law Ed Jenson opened the first two Barbecue Pit locations just days apart—one in the Maryland Hotel and another at 1413 Market Street. Over the decades, more locations were added, including North Park, Pacific Beach, National City, Linda Vista, El Cajon Boulevard, Escondido, Kearny Mesa, Chula Vista, Fletcher Hills, and San Marcos.

The Fletcher Hills and National City locations remain proudly family-owned. Joe and Lila’s son Gary, along with his wife Sue, operated both restaurants for many years. Their son Todd and his wife Kelly now own and run the National City location. After Gary’s passing in 2021, their third son, Tim, stepped in to manage Fletcher Hills.

In June of 2023, Tim wanted to go a different direction in his career. To make sure The Barbecue Pit stayed in the family and continued its tradition of excellence, Joe and Lila’s youngest child, Matt, came out of retirement (retired San Diego Law Enforcement) to own and operate the Fletcher Hills location along with his wife, Lucretia. They have three out of their five children working in the restaurant with them. Lacey and Madelynn assist in front-of-the-house responsibilities. Kevin, their oldest son, helps sporadically when needed—just enough to keep the barbecue in his veins while pursuing his own path. Their third child, Dallen, has moved to Idaho and is working on expanding The Barbecue Pit there. Their fifth child, Jack, has taken another route in life, the NFL.

The restaurant is also blessed with a long-time employee, Doug Glad. He has worked at the restaurant since he was 14 years old and is considered another brother to the Browning family. Doug’s wife, Martha, is also a mainstay at the Pit as a cashier.

The Browning family would like to THANK YOU for the ongoing support of our restaurants.