Since he opened his first 4 Rivers Smokehouse in 2009, John Rivers has maintained a “mostly” strict closed-on-Sundays policy. Beginning Sept. 22, just weeks shy of the company’s 15th anniversary, that policy will end.
In a letter addressed to “Friends & Shareholders” Monday, Rivers wrote: “To honor the mission of using our God-given talents to serve and support the community, we must always consider how to preserve and protect the health of the business. With this in mind and after tireless consideration, we have prayerfully decided to open the Smokehouses for business on Sundays, beginning Sunday, September 22nd.”
The 4R Restaurant Group, which according to Rivers’ letter now includes 30 branded units with more than 700 employees, began as a “barbecue ministry” in 2004 when Rivers hosted a cookout to raise money for a local family whose daughter had cancer. The food – especially Rivers’ brisket – was popular, and he continued to have cookouts to support local schools, churches and charities, smoking the meats in his garage. He opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Oct. 2009 in a small building on Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park. (The site is now home to Hunger Street Tacos.)
From the beginning, and even as the concept caught on with larger and multiple locations, the devoutly religious Rivers insisted that the restaurants be closed on Sundays, although there were exceptions for occasional fundraisers, including following the Pulse massacre and after hurricanes hit the area.
Rivers justified the new policy in his letter by stating that with opening on Sundays the company could “expand the ministry to meet more people in need” and “safeguard the business from current and future economic threats.” He also said that it would protect jobs and “ensure the financial stability and prosperity” of its employees.
