NASHVILLE, TN — An iconic Austin barbecue restaurant’s first venture outside of the Lone Star State is a go after permits were officially issued in December. Texas-based Black Family Hospitality, which owns Terry Black’s Barbecue, landed two permits worth nearly $12 million to expand to Tennessee, the Austin Business Journal reported. New Terry Black’s and Opal’s Oysters locations will open at 1220 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., near Nashville’s historic Germantown neighborhood.
The first permit is worth $9 million and covers construction of two full-service restaurant shells with a shared kitchen. The second permit is worth $3.42 million and will cover build-out costs. The work will be performed by Eshelman Construction. The permits were issued on Dec. 22, but Nashville’s ePermit portal shows multiple construction permits for the project are still pending. The timeline for completion of the project has not been shared.
Terry Black’s Barbecue was founded in 2014 in Austin by the Black family and has since expanded to brick-and-mortar restaurants in Dallas, Lockhart, Waco and Fort Worth. The Black family opened the original Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart in 1932, but family disagreements led them to create a new entity through which to establish Terry Black’s in Austin.
The family’s other venture, Opal’s Oysters, started in Waco in 2024 and offers an upscale seafood menu.

