The Rendezvous in Memphis turns 75: Here's the story behind those world-famous ribs

When Charlie Vergos opened his tavern in the basement of a Downtown building in 1948, we doubt he knew his recipes would create a dish that would put Memphis on the culinary map.

Fast forward 75 years, and The Rendezvous’ signature Charbroiled Ribs are now renowned across the globe as the signature Memphis-style rib.

Memphians and visitors from around the world flock to The Rendezvous for its well-seasoned ribs that started it all.

Often called the Memphis “dry” rib, it’s a name that causes second generation co-owner John Vergos (Charlie’s eldest son) to cringe.

“There is nothing ‘dry’ about our ribs,” he is quick to say. “Think of it rather as ‘saucy’ versus ‘seasoned.’”

Ribs not originally on the menu at The Rendezvous

Prior to the opening of The Rendezvous, Memphis was known for its barbecue pulled pork sandwich. Spots like Leonard’s Pit Barbecue, which at over a century old is the oldest barbecue joint in town, specialized in this signature sandwich.

“No one really served ribs at restaurants back then,” John said. “Ribs were pretty much served at backyard barbecues.”

Ribs ended up on the menu at The Rendezvous by chance.

“The Rendezvous started as a tavern with ham and cheese sandwiches, pickled sausages, beer and BYOB set-ups,” John said.

About the same time that Charlie Vergos discovered a coal shoot in the wall that allowed him to grill, a friend who worked at Sysco called Charlie and asked if he could do something with some extra ribs they had on hand.

Charlie added them to the menu, cooking them in what John calls “Greek-style.”

They were grilled bone side down and seasoned with a Greek seasoning blend that included salt, pepper, oregano, garlic and lemon. White distilled vinegar was used to baste the ribs as they cooked.

Tina Vergos Jennings, Charlie’s daughter and also a co-owner of the family restaurant, said the vinegar helps keep the flavor of the meat.

“When you eat our ribs, you can still taste the meat," she said. "The vinegar helps that happen."

She added that at The Rendezvous they do not remove the membrane from the ribs prior to cooking. “The membrane is what keeps in the juices,” she said.

Instead of being cooked “low and slow,” like at many Memphis barbecue restaurants, the ribs at The Rendezvous are charbroiled over charcoal for a little over an hour, being basted with vinegar as they cook.

“How we cook them has never changed,” said Anna Vergos Blair, John’s daughter who now runs the day-to-day operations of the family business. She is the third-generation to run The Rendezvous. “Charlie taught my dad and my uncle Nick, who then taught Bobby Ellis, who then taught Robert Cox who runs the kitchen now. It’s a long tradition that has been passed on.”

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The Rendezvous' signature 'shake' also happened by chance

John recalled a family vacation to New Orleans as the turning point for The Rendezvous’ world-famous seasoning blend.

“It was the mid 1950s and our first family vacation I can remember,” John said. “We went to New Orleans and our dad tried Cajun seasoning for the first time.”

Charlie brought home some of that Cajun seasoning he tasted and mixed it with his Greek seasoning blend to create a rib seasoning that would change history.

“No one ever used the term ‘dry rub’ back then,” John said.

Tina added: “We called it ‘the shake.’ And we still call it that today.”

Using their father’s decades-old technique, each rib is mopped with vinegar as it comes off the grill, and then well seasoned with the famous “shake.”

“I remember my dad saying that the seasoning crystallizes on the ribs because of the vinegar,” Tina said. “In each bite, you can taste the vinegar, seasoning and the meat.”

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A rib tradition in Memphis, and beyond

Today, The Rendezvous cooks over 5,000 pounds of ribs at the restaurant each week. On average, 2,500 are served at the restaurant each weekend. (The one-day record was 4,000.)

And Rendezvous' ribs are enjoyed far beyond the walls of the restaurant.

"We have shipped boxes to all 50 states, and we will ship close to 10,000 packages during the holidays," Anna said.

The restaurant also just recently started shipping its sauce and seasoning to a handful of international countries.

The Vergos family is proud of the tradition their father started and plans on carrying it on for generations to come.

“There is good barbecue all over Memphis,” John said. “We don’t claim to be better, we are just different — from our ribs to our atmosphere to our staff.”

And as for that term “dry rub,” it’s a term that will never appear on the menu at The Rendezvous.

“It’s an iteration of what we started,” Tina said. “We take it as a compliment.”

Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer. 

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Charlie Vergos Rendezvous

Where: 52 S. Second St.

Hours: 11 a.m.-9p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday.

Phone: (901) 523-2746

Online: hogsfly.com; Select menu items, sauces and condiments are shipped nationwide.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The story behind The Rendezvous' world-famous Memphis-style ribs