Why is BBQ so overpriced in DFW? (Dallas, Austin: transplants, insurance)

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by widespreadfan

Thanks for posting this. Yes, lots of restaurants have had to raise their prices because of higher labor costs and higher food costs over the last two years or so. Now, what you have to realize is their are three types of barbecue restaurants out there. There are the mom & pop traditional places, the corporate chains, and then the gourmet barbecue restaurants - I call these "Nouveau Austin" (even if they are not anywhere near Austin.) Examples of each are below.

Mom & Pop:
Hutchin's BBQ in McKinney and Frisco
Cattleack's in Farmers Branch
Sonny Bryan's with multiple locations

Corporate:
Dickey's with multiple locations
Soulman's with multiple locations
Spring Creek with multiple locations

Gourmet/Nouveau Austin:
Franklin's in Austin
Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum

The Mom & Pop places are not necessarily "cheap" either, but they are more affordable than the Gourmet/Nouveau Austin restaurants. Corporate barbecue places are going to be priced in the middle and should offer consistency across their locations. Now a few weeks ago I had a terrible sandwich at a Dickey's for about $12 here in Plano. Then a few days later I got a great sandwich at a place called Corky's (Tennesse corporate chain) for $8. So, you just ever know these days how the food is actually going to taste with places using substitute ingredients and labor, who may not have proper training or experience. Good luck and happy eating!

This is a very informative post and sums up what I was trying to get at. The corporate chain places like Dickey's tend to be cheaper because they have so many restaurants and can get everything in bulk.

When I made the thread, I was mostly referring to the gourmet/nouveau Austin places because the restaurant has a very "commercial" feel. I guess it's just my NC roots, but BBQ places aren't supposed to be fancy inside. In fact, they should generally feel like they will be closed by the health department at any time. Most of these nouveau Austin restaurants started as mom & pop and got popular, so they start selling t-shirts and other trendy merchandise, they open more locations and the food quality goes downhill. The exact thing happened with Joe's BBQ in Kansas City. I noticed the quality decline as they began opening more and more locations.

Originally Posted by Threestep2

Again - you came back to Dallas because of what? Low wages?
Get your slaw at Kroger. Make your pulled pork in a crock pot. Get a girlfriend/boyfriend who likes to cook. Get a part time job at a BBQ joint and learn what it takes. Take a trip to NC.

Why are there so many defensive people in this thread who just make excuses rather than trying to answer the question? All I'm wondering is why a certain food in one region of the country costs double in another region?

I compare it to Costco chickens costing $5 in Dallas but $8 in Tulsa. Wouldn't you be curious as to why?

[Lz_2022]

It’s not even double - you keep making up numbers.
Again, you’re comparing two completely different meats, completely different overhead structures - and frankly, nobody cares what you “think a bbq joint should look like” because podunk NC doesn’t have code enforcement. Do you know what a Dallas county health fine costs and can do to your business? Do you understand the permitting process for a commercial kitchen in Tarrant county? Have you ever looked into what Workers Comp costs for a restaurant?

You started off talking about corporate places and now it’s “well actually”… and even at that, the Zavala’s, Meat Church, Pecan Lodge et al aren’t out there “opening up multiple locations and letting the quality go downhill”.

Look at it like this. You’re insulting people and insinuating that just because they work really hard to MAKE YOUR EFFING FOOD that all they’re doing is turning a buck and saying quality be damned.

You don’t know a thing about the restaurant biz, never will with your attention span. Aaron freaking Franklin didn’t even let anyone else cut brisket for his customers for YEARS because he knew quality mattered over all. Does that cost more when you refuse to serve something? Yes. Did he care? No. It takes two years of employment there to get to the point that you’re allowed to slice for service.

I’ve already told you to go break down the math, I’m wondering if you’re just not capable of it because you have some bucolic Triple D ideal that you think will just stay the same forever.

There’s not a single excuse here. Just math. Do the math.

[Danbo1957]

Quit expecting gourmet BBQ. Brisket will cost $25-30 per pound at BBQ restaurants. There are many joints still around in Texas serving two meats and two sides for $12-15.

Example, 50 years old restaurant in Austin, serving choice beef:

MENU

[mirotek]

Originally Posted by Lz_2022

It’s not even double - you keep making up numbers.
Again, you’re comparing two completely different meats, completely different overhead structures - and frankly, nobody cares what you “think a bbq joint should look like” because podunk NC doesn’t have code enforcement. Do you know what a Dallas county health fine costs and can do to your business? Do you understand the permitting process for a commercial kitchen in Tarrant county? Have you ever looked into what Workers Comp costs for a restaurant?

You started off talking about corporate places and now it’s “well actually”… and even at that, the Zavala’s, Meat Church, Pecan Lodge et al aren’t out there “opening up multiple locations and letting the quality go downhill”.

Look at it like this. You’re insulting people and insinuating that just because they work really hard to MAKE YOUR EFFING FOOD that all they’re doing is turning a buck and saying quality be damned.

You don’t know a thing about the restaurant biz, never will with your attention span. Aaron freaking Franklin didn’t even let anyone else cut brisket for his customers for YEARS because he knew quality mattered over all. Does that cost more when you refuse to serve something? Yes. Did he care? No. It takes two years of employment there to get to the point that you’re allowed to slice for service.

I’ve already told you to go break down the math, I’m wondering if you’re just not capable of it because you have some bucolic Triple D ideal that you think will just stay the same forever.

There’s not a single excuse here. Just math. Do the math.

Take it easy man. It's just BBQ.

And for the record, I'm not making up the numbers. They are right here.

Salt Lick Driftwood: 1/2 lb PULLED PORK – $13.95
https://saltlickbbq.com/driftwood/

Smokey Joe's Lexington: 1lb CHOPPED PORK - $10.70
Smokey Joe's BBQ award winning BBQ! | Smokey Joe's Barbecue

[Repatriot]

Originally Posted by mirotek

Take it easy man. It's just BBQ.

Yeah I'm not getting the triggering either, it's a bit OTT. I didn't find the OP offensive.

I'm from neither place but have been to both and have no dog in this.

Tried as I did a number of times, NC-style BBQ just doesn't do it for me, but there are its loyalists.

[Lz_2022]

Originally Posted by mirotek

Take it easy man. It's just BBQ.

And for the record, I'm not making up the numbers. They are right here.

Salt Lick Driftwood: 1/2 lb PULLED PORK – $13.95
https://saltlickbbq.com/driftwood/

Smokey Joe's Lexington: 1lb CHOPPED PORK - $10.70
Smokey Joe's BBQ award winning BBQ! | Smokey Joe's Barbecue

1. There’s no such thing as “just BBQ” in Texas. Your quality will be the difference between a TM50 joint and being able to put food on your own table, or disappearing into the wind in the first six months like 75% of restaurants do.

2. A standard sandwich contains 1/4# meat, which basically aligns exactly with the costs the OP stated in the sandwich example and only further hammers home the point that his numbers were false. Salt lick serves with the sauce and fixings and bread, therefore a sandwich would be about 6.25, which is a far cry from his $25 claim that moved to $30 because he was comparing beef to pork.

3. The delta between Lexington and a place like Salt Lick only again puts that last nail in this coffin as the regulatory environment and competitive environment in those places isn’t even remotely the same. Do you know how close Salt Lick’s nearest competitor is? Have you looked at what the wholesale pork prices are in NC versus TX? Have you run an actual P/L?

4. I never said you were making up numbers, unless you’re accidentally posting from an alt account.

[Lz_2022]

Originally Posted by Repatriot

Yeah I'm not getting the triggering either, it's a bit OTT. I didn't find the OP offensive.

I'm from neither place but have been to both and have no dog in this.

Tried as I did a number of times, NC-style BBQ just doesn't do it for me, but there are its loyalists.

Then read. The “triggering” has been spelled out very clearly.

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by mirotek

Take it easy man. It's just BBQ.

And for the record, I'm not making up the numbers. They are right here.

Salt Lick Driftwood: 1/2 lb PULLED PORK – $13.95
https://saltlickbbq.com/driftwood/

Smokey Joe's Lexington: 1lb CHOPPED PORK - $10.70
Smokey Joe's BBQ award winning BBQ! | Smokey Joe's Barbecue

Yes, this is exactly what I was talking about. My original post wasn't meant to be offensive to anyone in any way, just asking why there is such a price difference. Someone claimed I was making up numbers and it wasn't true. Thanks for posting the numbers

Originally Posted by Lz_2022

Then read. The “triggering” has been spelled out very clearly.

You are only triggered because you seem to be running a BBQ restaurant, probably similar to one that I described exactly in my original post that charges $25 for two slices of brisket with two tiny sides.

[Lz_2022]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

Yes, this is exactly what I was talking about. My original post wasn't meant to be offensive to anyone in any way, just asking why there is such a price difference. Someone claimed I was making up numbers and it wasn't true. Thanks for posting the numbers



You are only triggered because you seem to be running a BBQ restaurant, probably similar to one that I described exactly in my original post that charges $25 for two slices of brisket with two tiny sides.

No. I run a restaurant that provides jobs in a compliant environment, in an extremely competitive industry while doing everything by the damn rule book that entitled little millennials have totally screwed up - all during a pandemic that gutted the industry, while listening to entitled little twits complain about the fact that prices had to go up.

Pork is cheaper than beef. NC has no effing Workers comp rules and a lower prevailing wage. Trash pulled pork costs way less to produce there. Therefore, it’s less expensive.

I’m “triggered” for the future of our people when entitled little kids can’t do basic math, and think they know better because they saw something on TikTok or whatever.

And the $25 would actually get you a half sausage 1/3 # brisket and about a pint of sides. Take your shade elsewhere. It’s that exact bull**** I was talking about - just another knowitall kid with no clue on what it takes to run a business but thinks everyone is out there owing them something.

Now go back to your alt account and keep talking to yourself. I’ve got a fire to tend to.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

This is a very informative post and sums up what I was trying to get at. The corporate chain places like Dickey's tend to be cheaper because they have so many restaurants and can get everything in bulk.

When I made the thread, I was mostly referring to the gourmet/nouveau Austin places because the restaurant has a very "commercial" feel. I guess it's just my NC roots, but BBQ places aren't supposed to be fancy inside. In fact, they should generally feel like they will be closed by the health department at any time. Most of these nouveau Austin restaurants started as mom & pop and got popular, so they start selling t-shirts and other trendy merchandise, they open more locations and the food quality goes downhill. The exact thing happened with Joe's BBQ in Kansas City. I noticed the quality decline as they began opening more and more locations.





Why are there so many defensive people in this thread who just make excuses rather than trying to answer the question? All I'm wondering is why a certain food in one region of the country costs double in another region?

I compare it to Costco chickens costing $5 in Dallas but $8 in Tulsa. Wouldn't you be curious as to why?

No, I do not buy Costco chicken.