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thrillhammer

By thrillhammer
in Austin

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  • 1 year later...
Armybrat

Armybrat 41,314

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Went to Stiles Switch in Cedar Park. 
We shared the three meat platter (brisket, sausage , pork ribs - sides were potato salad, smoked Brussel sprouts).

Brisket & sausage were good, ribs very good. 
Potato salad meh, sprouts good.

With two fountain drinks it totaled $34.84.

Some crazy Canadian group came in.

 

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Edited by Armybrat
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utee94

utee94 16,065

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7 minutes ago, Shaddie said:

Staying in 620 area. 
Anybody been to interstellar evening time. Wait? Still have some q left? Are they a “sold till out” unit?

Yes they're a "sell 'til it's sold out" joint.  Officially, they close at 4. 

Stiles Switch in Cedar Park is actually good, and IMO more consistent than the original location down on N. Lamar.  They're open until 8 or 8:30 depending on the day.  Closed Mondays.

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Shaddie

Shaddie 1,684

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1 minute ago, utee94 said:

Yes they're a "sell 'til it's sold out" joint.  Officially, they close at 4. 

Stiles Switch in Cedar Park is actually good, and IMO more consistent than the original location down on N. Lamar.  They're open until 8 or 8:30 depending on the day.  Closed Mondays.

Thanks

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Shaddie

Shaddie 1,684

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1 minute ago, utee94 said:

Yes they're a "sell 'til it's sold out" joint.  Officially, they close at 4. 

Stiles Switch in Cedar Park is actually good, and IMO more consistent than the original location down on N. Lamar.  They're open until 8 or 8:30 depending on the day.  Closed Mondays.

Funny thing is I lived in CP and Smokey Moes came in and best breakfast tacos around. Times have changed. 

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Bolero88

Bolero88 286

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I went to KG BBQ over by Manor and Airport recently. Excellent BBQ with Egyptian flavors. The smoked kafta shawarma, pomegranate glazed pork ribs, and mediterranean rice were all fantastic. I really want to go back and try the sumac and cinnamon rubbed lamb shoulder and the pink buttermilk potato salad. 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46,967

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Yeah, that doesn't look very appealing.  Our son wanted Rudy's for his birthday last night and I'm pretty sure it was better than that.

Dropping $150 at Rudy's kinda hurts.  Turkey was righteous, though.  Lean & moist were perfectly edible, as was spicy chop.  Sausage?  Eh.  Avoid the sausage.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46,967

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28 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Never have cared for sausage at  Rudy’s, but the brisket will do in a pinch. Mrs. Brat says their babybacks are ok.

Historically I'd say their ribs have been pretty weak.  Brisket, turkey, spicy chop are consistently decent.  I'd say the turkey is well better than decent, but that seems to be a dish most BBQ spots get right.  

I haven't tried their pulled pork.  My own kicks ass and I have a shit ton in my freezer so I'm not likely to order that anywhere.

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Bolero88

Bolero88 286

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23 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Went to KG yesterday. Brisket was moist but severely lacked smoke. Ribs were ok. Mac n cheese was decent, interesting with the middle eastern influence. Nothing to write home about. 
 

 

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Why would you go there and only get meat? The ribs were great  when I was there, and all of their schwarma and rice bowls were excellent, as was the mac and cheese. 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 46,060

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2 hours ago, Bolero88 said:

Why would you go there and only get meat? The ribs were great  when I was there, and all of their schwarma and rice bowls were excellent, as was the mac and cheese. 

Also got a chicken bowl and potato salad.  Just didn't take pics.  I mean, none of it was BAD, but it just didn't blow my hair back.

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CHIEF

CHIEF 5,200

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On 7/20/2023 at 9:28 AM, Bolero88 said:

I went to KG BBQ over by Manor and Airport recently. Excellent BBQ with Egyptian flavors. The smoked kafta shawarma, pomegranate glazed pork ribs, and mediterranean rice were all fantastic. I really want to go back and try the sumac and cinnamon rubbed lamb shoulder and the pink buttermilk potato salad. 

I was just coming here to see if anyone had tried it. I'm trying to get my football home game weekend restaurant hit list together, and watched a YouTube video on KG BBQ. He seems like a sincere and passionate dude:

CHIEF

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19,456

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Opinions on Southside Market?  I know it’s not the best but fundraiser tailgate this weekend has contracted with them.  And we are tangentially involved.  So they asked my opinion on what to bulk order.  What are their strong suits and what’s not worth bothering with ordering?  Thanks 

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Fuga

Fuga 181

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Just saw this so too late to advise.

How was it?

It's good enough for us for home delivery, avail ourselves every four or five weeks, and are quite satisfied. Other options are Pok-e-Jo's, Rudy's, Smokey Mo's so Southside wins out, excepting when I'm craving some fried okra and the wife grilled veggies (both Pok-e-Jo's).

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19,456

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Everybody seemed to enjoy it.  Brisket was a very pleasant surprise, from ends to fatty cuts.  Was really impressed.  Sausage was very forgettable though, probably should have gone with turkey instead.  Sides were fantastic actually, didn't see that coming.  They gave the non-profit a really good deal so would advise again on using them given their budget (they can't do a higher-end place, just won't work economically).  Open bar probably helped folks eat more with smiles on their face.  

In a weird way, I've been craving Rudy's lately.  We used to take the girls there after church sometimes before Covid.  I guess that's why, and now that we're back to service, volunteer, sunday school, and then lunch.  We should get that back in the mix.  Obviously, it's nowhere near the best Austin has to offer, but it's right down the street from my wife's church and they like the outside play area when the weather is nice.  

For the KU game, McCombs is doing their annual alumni BBQ.  And every year, despite so many UT connections to so many great BBQ joints either as owner/operator/investor/etc., they somehow manage to get the shittiest BBQ available in Texas.  Like Bill Miller bad, only 3x the cost.  I'll never understand that.  

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utee94

utee94 16,065

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1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

For the KU game, McCombs is doing their annual alumni BBQ.  And every year, despite so many UT connections to so many great BBQ joints either as owner/operator/investor/etc., they somehow manage to get the shittiest BBQ available in Texas.  Like Bill Miller bad, only 3x the cost.  I'll never understand that.  

Yeah I don't ever bother eating at the McCombs alumni BBQ.  I've tried to help them with connections in the past and they just go back to doing their thing.  Fine with me, I'll eat elsewhere.

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YGIFS

YGIFS 19,456

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Glad I'm not the only one who finds that an odd deal.  So many great opportunities to feature BBQ, breweries, distilleries, etc. in which Longhorns play a big part business-wise.  Athletics exploits the hell outta shit like that, but the individual CSU's just go with the usual crap at their events.  And so many of those businesses are so eager to work with UT as alums and cut great deals.  

I wanna get one of the featured BBQ joints  from the Texas Monthly BBQ festival in Lockhart, which is being held on K-State weekend.  Get one of them to send a handful of folks and a trailer to a pre-game reception or even Surly tailgate.  A little teaser, and TxMo can sell discounted tickets for the Sunday trail.  May be sold out by then, but a great opportunity for just crazy promotional crossover.  Thoughts on any opportunities here:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/event/2023-tm-bbq-fest-lockhart/?utm_source=search&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=cm-bbqfest&?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid&utm_campaign=search&gclid=CjwKCAjw6p-oBhAYEiwAgg2PgkvKmGlol2bXgblE03KnVR1SWdr37wxs_vuCpSxwy5H3pm7chFcoZhoCp3EQAvD_BwE

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Fuga

Fuga 181

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On 9/18/2023 at 10:20 AM, YGIFS said:

Everybody seemed to enjoy it.  Brisket was a very pleasant surprise, from ends to fatty cuts.  Was really impressed.  Sausage was very forgettable though, probably should have gone with turkey instead.  Sides were fantastic actually, didn't see that coming.  They gave the non-profit a really good deal so would advise again on using them given their budget (they can't do a higher-end place, just won't work economically).  Open bar probably helped folks eat more with smiles on their face.  

In a weird way, I've been craving Rudy's lately.  We used to take the girls there after church sometimes before Covid.  I guess that's why, and now that we're back to service, volunteer, sunday school, and then lunch.  We should get that back in the mix.  Obviously, it's nowhere near the best Austin has to offer, but it's right down the street from my wife's church and they like the outside play area when the weather is nice.  

For the KU game, McCombs is doing their annual alumni BBQ.  And every year, despite so many UT connections to so many great BBQ joints either as owner/operator/investor/etc., they somehow manage to get the shittiest BBQ available in Texas.  Like Bill Miller bad, only 3x the cost.  I'll never understand that.  

Good to hear. Sounds like they didn't skimp on the catering. I do get sausage as my second meat when we get it delivered - gotta always have sausage. Love the potato salad. The Arbor Walk location is only a couple miles away so arrives plenty warm. Besides the dinners I also get some chopped for lunches and a package or two of different sausages - hot & garlic. Love sausage.

Rudy's is close, too, and used to get it often until Southside opened. Huge tip: use Rudy's beans for nachos.

That last about Q choice for the alumni? Ridiculous. 

 

 

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Armybrat

Armybrat 41,314

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On 7/31/2023 at 1:23 PM, 4th&Five said:

I pretty much only get the chopped at Rudy's now.  The moist brisket is fine but not worth $28 per pound.

Drove all the way to Taylor for Mrs. Brat’s 60th Fightin’ Taylor Duck high school reunion. 
Went by LM’s to meet some friends and all I got was some chopped Oma bun, but it was good….

A big change - the dining room on the west side is now air conditioned.

 

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gofuckyourself

gofuckyourself 8,939

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A couple weeks back the wife and I stopped at Salt Lick on the way back from Fredericksburg. I hadn't been there in 25 years and had zero recall of it from back then.

So massively disappointing. I had seen everyone's opinions on it but I've definitely verified it for myself.

I mean the brisket was unseasoned pot roast, at best. Not a single piece with any bark. Just wet bland meat. I don't even know how it's possible? I have cooked exactly two briskets in my life, within the past year, and both ran circles around theirs.

Then I go online and see reviews and people raving about the brisket? I assume those are tourists from East Borschtislavia who've never had any BBQ in their life.

I will say the beef rib she got was pretty good. That's about it.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46,967

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I've had decent to good brisket there.  Nothing transcendent.  The weekend (Sunday?) beef ribs are often great.

You might have caught a bad day.  That said, it's never great in my experience.  It's about the drive, the location, and taking out of towners.

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Mittens

Mittens 8,631

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2 hours ago, gofuckyourself said:

I mean the brisket was unseasoned pot roast, at best. Not a single piece with any bark. Just wet bland meat.

Been saying this for years.  Think the last time I was there was 2013 and the brisket was literally gray.

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ftf82

ftf82 488

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ABJ Article on Valentina's meltdown.

 

Spoiler

Last June, a crowd of barbecue fans, local dignitaries and more flocked to the Buda Mill & Grain Co. south of Austin to celebrate Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ and its husband-wife owners, Miguel and Modesty Vidal, with a ribbon-cutting of their new 6,000-square-foot restaurant.

The moment marked the culmination of the restaurant's meteoric rise from a niche South Austin food trailer to a spot on the Texas Monthly's venerable "50 Best BBQ Joints List," and then to the highly anticipated opening of the Vidals' first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Buda.

But less than a year later, that ascent came to an abrupt halt. The Vidals on April 25 announced the restaurant's imminent closure, which they said will be temporary. The Austin Business Journal later confirmed the business is headed for new ownership, and further digging uncovers an unusual mountain of debt for a restaurant known to have lines out the door.

The Vidals said in the April 25 social media post that the company would be under new management and that the restaurant would be closed during the transition. But the Vidals did not disclose why new management was needed. An ABJ investigation based on interviews and an analysis of public records has identified a pattern of fiscal and business mismanagement by the Vidals.

Some of that was known: the Vidals have faced public allegations of tip stealing by employees, some of whom have posted on social media of poor management and issued getting paid. Meanwhile, customers and employees have flooded social media with accusations of bad service.

But what the ABJ through its reporting can reveal is the Vidals are under investigation by the Department of Labor for their business practices, and they owe millions of dollars to a number of stakeholders — the company's primary lender, employees, their landlord, the state of Texas, contractors, minority owners and, potentially soon, the city of Buda — as they struggled to keep their business afloat.

That debt is roughly $2.3 million and could potentially be higher, according to a source with direct knowledge of the company's financial issues.

Many questions remain of how the business got to this place. The Vidals have not responded to several requests for comment. But they did acknowledge issues in a the April 25 social media post, which said the restaurant will be closed until May 8.

"We’ve been at this for a long time, and we work really hard, but this last year has been harder than ever," the Vidals said in the post. "For us, scaling our business from 600 sq. ft. to 6,000 sq. ft. has proven more than we can manage, and we recognize and admit to the many issues and challenges Valentina’s has had since we’ve moved. We can no longer continue to give our loyal customers sub par customer service and food."

The debt includes more than $1.5 million to Austin-based financial technology company InKind, which is the most senior secured creditor of the business, said InKind CEO Johann Moonesinghe. The company is working on essentially taking over the business as an assignment for the benefit of the creditors.

The restaurant finance company is among the largest in the country and has funded over 600 restaurants this year. It has invested in Austin staples including Rosen's Bagel Co., Sushi by Scratch, Two Hands Hospitality and Paperboy. It also owns and operates restaurants such as Ember Kitchen and The Guest House in Austin.

Moonesinghe said InKind underwrites every business differently but admitted the business gave Valentina's more than usual because it believed in the business. The investment included buying credit in the business but also lending money directly. Valentina's has missed deadlines to pay that back.

Moonesinghe shed a little light on why money has not been paid back. He said Valentina's was doing $4.5 million in annual revenue out of its food truck, and expectations were that revenue would reach $10 million with the new location. But the past couple of months, Moonesinghe said, Valentina's was on track to have $3 million in revenue this year.

Moonesinghe said Valentina's aims to get a proper business management team in place so that employees can keep their jobs and "the community can continue to eat the best barbecue in the country." In the meantime, Valentina's has been locked out of the restaurant for breaching its lease and not paying rent, and employee paychecks have bounced, Moonesinghe said.

He said that while InKind isn't necessarily liable to make any payments, it's working with the Vidals to make sure that everyone gets paid.

"Miguel is an incredibly talented chef and most people who’ve been to Valentina’s including Aaron Franklin say it’s their favorite barbecue," he said in a written statement. "Ultimately though, producing mouthwatering food is not enough when running a restaurant."

Valentina's reveal that it was moving to Buda in 2021 was met with fanfare from foodies. But it also attracted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the city of Buda and the Buda Economic Development Corp. to help bring a popular restaurant to the city as it aimed to support small businesses along its bustling Main Street.

At least initially, city officials approved about $457,000 in performance-based incentives from both the city and its EDC to aid with the project at the redeveloped Buda Mill & Grain Co. site at 308 South Main St. Of that amount, half was to be paid to developers to offset remodeling costs and the other to Valentina's to offset equipment costs at the restaurant, according to the agreements.

The business was said to generate a number of benefits that were required as part of the agreement. The capital investment in the project is said by some to have eclipsed $2 million, and the business signed a 10-year-lease. They were expected to have at least 105 full-time employees, which would make Valentina's a major private-sector employer in Buda.

As anticipation grew for the project, the first signs that something may have been amiss came last year. Valentina's finally set an opening date for June after a number of delays, but that only came after Buda voted to provide a $285,000 loan to help the company with finances prior to the opening.

Only a portion of the performance-based incentive has been paid out to Valentina's as of April 26, said Buda EDC CEO Jennifer Storm, who was chair of the EDC board when the first agreements were approved. That includes only a portion of the first agreement with Valentina's, and none to the developer, as they work to verify whether they hit the performance-based goals in the agreement.

While the loan was paid out, the agreement did include a provision that it must be paid back if the owners sell the business, Storm said. She was unsure of the timeframe on when that payment would need to be made, but it could be triggered by the imminent change in ownership.

Storm called the situation "heartbreaking," acknowledging it feels personal because the city and EDC were essentially investors in the project and purchased the kitchen equipment. But she expressed confidence the business, whomever owns it, can get back on track.

 

"Small businesses are the heart and soul of our community. It's hard to be a small business owner, and we're trying to support them through that," Storm said.

Storm added that she would do the deal again and will continue to support the city's efforts to help small businesses. City leadership in Buda, with a population of 16,000, has made that a priority based on the requests of locals who don't want to lose the small-town charm.

"These are not easy projects," Storm said. "These are people who have dreams. We are trying to support those dreams and sometimes there are challenges that can't be overcome. But it's still the right thing to support small businesses."

That was the same sentiment echoed by Dodi Ellis, whose family has owned by the 8-acre Buda Mill & Grain Co. site as far back as 1911.

While she said she could not comment on any specifics, she added: "It's an incredibly sad moment that we find ourselves in. We had really been rooting for their success."

Valentina's first came under fire publicly last year when anonymous accusations emerged on Reddit accusing the owners of stealing tips, with screenshots of a tip policy that showed employees would not receive tips based on a number of reasons. The post said showing up to work 5-to-10 minutes early is on time.

The Vidals responded to the post on Facebook and shared an updated tip policy. "We can only continue to learn, adapt, and try do better as we grow," the post stated last July.

The social media posts garnered comments that described poor management, harsh working conditions and subpar customer experiences. But it also drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Labor, which confirmed to the ABJ on April 26 it was investigating the company, although officials would not confirm for what.

"Because all complaints are anonymous to protect those who file complaints, we do not disclose how an investigation was initiated. However, we can confirm our Wage and Hour Division has an open and ongoing investigation into this employer. At this time that is all we can say on the case," said Juan Rodríguez, deputy regional director at the office of public affairs of the U.S. Department of Labor,in a statement.

If the investigation is indeed for potential tip stealing, at the crux of the issue is that employers, including managers and supervisors, may not keep tips, according to the Department of Labor. The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits employees from keeping any portion of tips for any reason, "whether directly or through or a tip pool," and employers may not require employees to give their tips to an employer, supervisor or manager.

While the paper trail of owed money appears to stretch from the company's lender to its landlord to the city and to employees, it appears to stretch to its contractors and the state of Texas, as well.

Valentina's has a history of liens that date back over the last decade in both Travis and Hays counties for unpaid taxes, according to publicly available documents analyzed by the ABJ.

That includes roughly $44,000 in outstanding liens filed by the state of Texas against the company in Hays County and roughly $3,100 in Travis County, documents show. It does not include what appears to be tens of thousands of dollars in additional liens that have been released.

That amount also does not include additional liens for contractors. Some have been satisfied, but Valentina's has an outstanding lien of roughly $22,450 filed in October against the company by Austin-based commercial painting company Star Finishes Enterprises Inc., which wrote that it provided work at the site, including tape, float, primer and plaint, according to the documents.

A representative for Star Finishes Enterprises confirmed to the ABJ on April 26 the lien had not yet been paid.

But the biggest unpaid debt goes to InKind.

Moonesinghe, InKind's CEO, said that, since they are not owners and operators, they were not aware of "the significant issues with payroll that have been going on." He said they were informed two weeks prior by the Vidals that they would be closing because it was not financially viable for them to operate the business.

With all the issues, many with knowledge of the potential deal called it "complicated." But Moonesinghe expressed confidence they can hit the May 8 re-opening date.

The Vidals promised in the Facebook post they would be around smoking brisket in the silo or making new drinks for the menu. Moonesinghe said they will continue to be involved in the business as employees but won't have access to the finances.

Miguel's food is "amazing," he said, and they want to let him shine, while Modesty is heavily invested in the catering side. They also have plans to expand out a dinner menu.

"Personally, my husband had planned on catering our 10 year anniversary in May with Valentina’s homemade tortillas, moist brisket and queso so we do want to get it back open as soon as possible," Moonesinghe said.

Jason Steward, who owned the former Bungalow bar on Rainey Street and now owns local lounges Kitty Cohen's and Golden Goose, is listed as an agent on the Valentina's LLC, signifying he has a stake in the company. He declined to comment when reached by the ABJ.

 

 

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LCHorn

LCHorn 2,749

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15 hours ago, ftf82 said:

The debt includes more than $1.5 million to Austin-based financial technology company InKind, which is the most senior secured creditor of the business, said InKind CEO Johann Moonesinghe. The company is working on essentially taking over the business as an assignment for the benefit of the creditors.

Haha, even smarty pants tech investors lose money investing in BBQ operators.  

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