Texas BBQ

[Jerry Callo 8960]

6 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

From another thread, re: Buda EDC

 

Modern Buda was built on the back of the annual Wiener Dog Races.

[Deej 77826]

8 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

“These cat people come to town and spend BIG MONEY,”

Undefeated

[DallasSooner 280]

2 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

I get the whole idea of perfecting your craft and all that stuff. 

The truth is that there is likely way more money to be made from full bars than smoked brisket.

Full bars, hamburgers and chicken pay better than smoked brisket. 

[royiv 9791]

1 hour ago, Jerry Callo said:

Modern Buda was built on the back of the annual Wiener Dog Races.

And we all know those backs are highly susceptible to injury.

[SizzleChest 8314]

5 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

I seriously doubt anyone was bankrupted by that venture.

Emotionally, yes.

[SizzleChest 8314]

1 hour ago, Jerry Callo said:

Modern Buda was built on the back of the annual Wiener Dog Races.

Yeah, they race not to attack the cats, but the cat people who are slower and much less shifty.

[dcbc 14644]

6 hours ago, NoName said:

Stanleys . . . opened as B&M i think

I'm going off memory here.  Stanley's was a B&M since the 1950s.  The Pencis family got involved around 2003 or 2004 and got the opportunity to buy out the partners around 2005.  Shortly after they took over, the City of Tyler condemned their pits.  Out of necessity, they purchased rotisserie cookers and figured out how to inject wood smoke to cook ribs.  Around 2009, Texas Monthly awarded them "best ribs."  They won it either the next year or the year after as well.  Jon Shaw became the pitmaster sometime in late 2000s or early 2010s and the got their brisket game together in the years that followed along with some big offsets.  During the early 2010s, things like the Mother Clucker started showing up.  Shortly before that, they added the deck and eventually covered it and added the original bar. 

 

They thought about adding a location in south Tyler around this time, but, instead, extended their hours to dinner service, upped their bar game, and started booking live music.  For some of those first shows, I was supplying microphones and mic stands.  They really put a ton of work, blood, sweat, and tears into getting that place into the machine it is today.  Right before COVID, they purchased the rest of the building on their lot, built a really nice bar, and then watched it sit for months during the pandemic.  They'd opened up another restaurant called Roast a few years prior and, while it survived the pandemic off and on, it closed when the lease ended.  Too bad, it was really good.

Edited April 26 by dcbc

[DallasSooner 280]

14 hours ago, dcbc said:

I'm going off memory here.  Stanley's was a B&M since the 1950s.  The Pencis family got involved around 2003 or 2004 and got the opportunity to buy out the partners around 2005.  Shortly after they took over, the City of Tyler condemned their pits.  Out of necessity, they purchased rotisserie cookers and figured out how to inject wood smoke to cook ribs.  Around 2009, Texas Monthly awarded them "best ribs."  They won it either the next year or the year after as well.  Jon Shaw became the pitmaster sometime in late 2000s or early 2010s and the got their brisket game together in the years that followed along with some big offsets.  During the early 2010s, things like the Mother Clucker started showing up.  Shortly before that, they added the deck and eventually covered it and added the original bar. 

 

They thought about adding a location in south Tyler around this time, but, instead, extended their hours to dinner service, upped their bar game, and started booking live music.  For some of those first shows, I was supplying microphones and mic stands.  They really put a ton of work, blood, sweat, and tears into getting that place into the machine it is today.  Right before COVID, they purchased the rest of the building on their lot, built a really nice bar, and then watched it sit for months during the pandemic.  They'd opened up another restaurant called Roast a few years prior and, while it survived the pandemic off and on, it closed when the lease ended.  Too bad, it was really good.

Jordan Jackson was also working at Stanleys at the time (invented the Mother Clucker). Went on to fix Bodacious on Mobberly. 

[NoName 17148]

14 hours ago, dcbc said:

I'm going off memory here.  Stanley's was a B&M since the 1950s.  The Pencis family got involved around 2003 or 2004 and got the opportunity to buy out the partners around 2005.  Shortly after they took over, the City of Tyler condemned their pits.  Out of necessity, they purchased rotisserie cookers and figured out how to inject wood smoke to cook ribs.  Around 2009, Texas Monthly awarded them "best ribs."  They won it either the next year or the year after as well.  Jon Shaw became the pitmaster sometime in late 2000s or early 2010s and the got their brisket game together in the years that followed along with some big offsets.  During the early 2010s, things like the Mother Clucker started showing up.  Shortly before that, they added the deck and eventually covered it and added the original bar. 

 

They thought about adding a location in south Tyler around this time, but, instead, extended their hours to dinner service, upped their bar game, and started booking live music.  For some of those first shows, I was supplying microphones and mic stands.  They really put a ton of work, blood, sweat, and tears into getting that place into the machine it is today.  Right before COVID, they purchased the rest of the building on their lot, built a really nice bar, and then watched it sit for months during the pandemic.  They'd opened up another restaurant called Roast a few years prior and, while it survived the pandemic off and on, it closed when the lease ended.  Too bad, it was really good.

i went like twice to Roast and the food was good, but i really remember hating the location/space.

i liked Stanleys, still do and the Motherclucker is my favorite sandwich I've ever eaten.

One of the few places I miss from ETX

[CooterBrown 18288]

On 4/25/2024 at 1:08 PM, 4th&Five said:

true but they upped their output a ton and the quality didn't suffer.  

The difference is they didn't up their output that much the day they opened the brick and mortar.  They eased into it over months. 

[GreenspointTexas 9969]

@Patricio Swayze and everyone else was right. This is top 50 worthy, maybe top 10

 

 

[dcbc 14644]

4 hours ago, NoName said:

i went like twice to Roast and the food was good, but i really remember hating the location/space.

 

The bar side was nice.  The main dining room left a bit to be desired.  The food was very good.

[GreenspointTexas 9969]

This is the best BBQ in the world. Easily. Ive been searching for a place to supplant Truth for almost 8 years now and this is it. If its not #1 on the next top 50, ill be shocked. Ill also be shocked if it doesnt win Most Outstanding Restaurant in America at James Beard Awards this year

 

 

[NoName 17148]

9 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

This is the best BBQ in the world. Easily. Ive been searching for a place to supplant Truth for almost 8 years now and this is it. If its not #1 on the next top 50, ill be shocked. Ill also be shocked if it doesnt win Most Outstanding Restaurant in America at James Beard Awards this year

 

 

This is my note to go there this year before the next Top 50 comes out.

[pch 1264]

16 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

This is the best BBQ in the world. Easily. Ive been searching for a place to supplant Truth for almost 8 years now and this is it. If its not #1 on the next top 50, ill be shocked. Ill also be shocked if it doesnt win Most Outstanding Restaurant in America at James Beard Awards this year

 

 

Found this excellent when my friend and I did our barbecue run last fall.  Definitely top 10/top 5 worthy in all offerings.

[deadshank 24654]

19 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

This is the best BBQ in the world. Easily. Ive been searching for a place to supplant Truth for almost 8 years now and this is it. If its not #1 on the next top 50, ill be shocked. Ill also be shocked if it doesnt win Most Outstanding Restaurant in America at James Beard Awards this year

 

 

Glad you finally came in from the cold. 

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

1 hour ago, deadshank said:

Glad you finally came in from the cold. 

He had to. Look at how dainty his hands are.

[futureman 22700]

 

this is a chopped brisket sandwich on a frosted concha with jam?  am I seeing this right?

[Jerry Callo 8960]

5 minutes ago, futureman said:

 

this is a chopped brisket sandwich on a frosted concha with jam?  am I seeing this right?

I'm seeing pulled pork, but damn it looks good.

[Texasborn91 1102]

On 4/27/2024 at 12:34 PM, GreenspointTexas said:

This is the best BBQ in the world. Easily. Ive been searching for a place to supplant Truth for almost 8 years now and this is it. If its not #1 on the next top 50, ill be shocked. Ill also be shocked if it doesnt win Most Outstanding Restaurant in America at James Beard Awards this year

 

 

That place was awesome. Brisket was a little pot roasty but everything else was incredible 

[hornfan785 570]

Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ owners owe $2.3M, according to ABJ investigation

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.

 

[sith_horn 2516]

1 hour ago, Texasborn91 said:

That place was awesome. Brisket was a little pot roasty but everything else was incredible 

Never been to this place, but that's pretty hard to reconcile with "top" or "one of the top BBQ" places. Pot roasty BBQ brisket is an oxymoron and a cardinal sin, IMO.

[Texasborn91 1102]

15 minutes ago, sith_horn said:

Never been to this place, but that's pretty hard to reconcile with "top" or "one of the top BBQ" places. Pot roasty BBQ brisket is an oxymoron and a cardinal sin, IMO.

I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that maybe my slices weren’t perfect that particular day. Everything else slapped. Best ribs I’ve ever had. 

[Underdog 29190]

Maybe John Cornyn’s (nocr) sister took over for one day. 

[GreenspointTexas 9969]

5 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

I'm seeing pulled pork, but damn it looks good.

The sandwich has smoked pulled pork, served with a chamoy barbecue sauce, chicharron, and pineapple slaw piled in between a concha. 
 

it was incredible. The concha held up and didnt fall apart like I thought it would

[futureman 22700]

fuck chamoy and fuck that

[BurntOrange&White 41864]

On 4/25/2024 at 12:37 PM, HRSchenker said:

Has a craft BBQ joint ever done a move + expanded hours without experiencing a decline in quality? I've never seen it in DFW. It's almost the kiss of death. 

Franklin and I feel like Pinkerton's has done well also.

[BurntOrange&White 41864]

On 4/25/2024 at 1:15 PM, NoName said:

Pecan Lodge for me is the biggest example

I wish I could have tried them during their prime. I only had them at their B&M Deep Ellum spot and it was not good.

[HRSchenker 2341]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Franklin and I feel like Pinkerton's has done well also.

Franklin does dinner service?

[BurntOrange&White 41864]

30 minutes ago, HRSchenker said:

Franklin does dinner service?

He does all his shipping and preorder on top of restaurant. Do some of yall forget? 

Edited April 29 by BurntOrange&White

[NoName 17148]

5 hours ago, hornfan785 said:

Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ owners owe $2.3M, according to ABJ investigation

  Hide contents

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.

 

So basically they sucked from a business standpoint, pulled a John Mueller and now are going to be employees vs owners?

Yikes.

Also that seems like an incredible amount of money to bring in for a food truck. 

[utee94 16088]

12 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

He does all his shipping and preorder on top of restaurant. Do some of yall forget? 

Shipping/preorder is even easier to get right, zero waste and time it exactly as you like.

Expanding hours to dinner service is what people are talking about.  And Franklin hasn't done it.  I hope he never does.

[BurntOrange&White 41864]

3 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Shipping/preorder is even easier to get right, zero waste and time it exactly as you like.

Expanding hours to dinner service is what people are talking about.  And Franklin hasn't done it.  I hope he never does.

I don't think it's as easy as you're trying to portray right now. Especially keeping quality high on shipped product. Coupling that on top of what he has to produce for daily operations and it's just as much as serving dinner except you don't have to pay servers/carvers extra hours. 

[BurntOrange&White 41864]

Random thought that I saw in this thread a while back but which BBQ owner was it that bitches at people on Twitter and shit talks people who left negative comments/reviews on his google reviews? 

[utee94 16088]

3 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I don't think it's as easy as you're trying to portray right now. Especially keeping quality high on shipped product. Coupling that on top of what he has to produce for daily operations and it's just as much as serving dinner except you don't have to pay servers/carvers extra hours. 

Nope, the additional restaurant staff and management is exactly what people on this thread are talking about.  Franklin effectively runs an extended catering operation, not a restaurant.  Which is great, it works perfectly for him, and for us, the customers. 

Like I said, I sincerely hope Franklin never expands to dinner service, because it's highly likely to get messed up.

[jimmyjazz 47203]

27 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Random thought that I saw in this thread a while back but which BBQ owner was it that bitches at people on Twitter and shit talks people who left negative comments/reviews on his google reviews? 

It wasn't me, I don't tweet/X, but I did contact LeAnn Mueller not long before she died to point out that her website menu didn't align with her photos -- prices were out of date, some items weren't available, etc.  She bitched me out saying she had no control over the website images, they were cached, etc.  I don't think that's how it works, but hey, thanks for the blast of sunshine.

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

On 4/27/2024 at 12:34 PM, GreenspointTexas said:

This is the best BBQ in the world. Easily. Ive been searching for a place to supplant Truth for almost 8 years now and this is it. If its not #1 on the next top 50, ill be shocked. Ill also be shocked if it doesnt win Most Outstanding Restaurant in America at James Beard Awards this year

 

Tried this for this first time yesterday on my way back to Houston from SA. Line was about 10-15 people deep at 11:15. Didn't have my food until 12:30 ish. Just unbelievably bad line management. Not sure if that is standard or I just caught them on a bad day.

I was planning to try the brisket huevos rancheros along with the trinity. Had to pivot to brisket, barbacoa, and picadillo tacos for the road and a pound of brisket and the elotes corn pudding for a side. Tacos were great. The corn pudding was fine but nothing special. I'll definitely stop by again when I'm in the area. The menu looked very interesting. 

Edited April 29 by Seasick Sailor

[HenryJames 67366]

https://austin.eater.com/2024/4/17/24124438/black-gold-barbecue-crestview-austin-opening-food-photos

[Jerry Callo 8960]

11 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

https://austin.eater.com/2024/4/17/24124438/black-gold-barbecue-crestview-austin-opening-food-photos

Sounds interesting.   I'll probably give it a shot at some point - probably a little too refined for my taste. 

[Storm the Field 5366]

On 2/20/2024 at 11:54 AM, Storm the Field said:

Pit Room's 2nd location out in Memorial City is almost ready. They just posted yesterday that they're hiring staff for an expected March opening.

Finally opened today. I'll have to head out there for lunch sometime soon. Significantly bigger than the original.

[tx 3 putt 78682]

45 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

Finally opened today. I'll have to head out there for lunch sometime soon. Significantly bigger than the original.

they figured out dinner service …

Quote

In addition to the core menu, the restaurant will roll out a separate dinner menu. Available in the coming weeks, it will include items such as burgers, steaks, fried pickles, brisket egg rolls, chicken wings, and chicken fingers for families with kids.

“I put together a hot line in addition to the prep kitchen,” Sambrooks explains. “We’ll do homemade french fries. You can get chili and cheese on them. I’m getting barbecue trained, then i’ll get that rolled out two or three weeks after we open.”

Dessert and ice cream bar. Full blown cocktail menu

[conVINCEd 21477]

9 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

they figured out dinner service …

Dessert and ice cream bar. Full blown cocktail menu

This always works out well.

[billfromlaketravis 11823]

10 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

they figured out dinner service …

Dessert and ice cream bar. Full blown cocktail menu

The set up will be interesting. Feges Spring Branch has a patio and kids play area so they can go crazy while their parents eat and hang out. 
 

If they put in soft serve machine + a play area, may God have mercy on their souls. It’ll look Mia’s in under a month. 
 

I hope some of their after dinner crowd heads over to Cowboy Surfer for first rate cocktails. We really need that bar to make it on my side of town. 

[deadshank 24654]

11 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

Sounds interesting.   I'll probably give it a shot at some point - probably a little too refined for my taste. 

Your taste?   The little taste you have is in your mouth. 

[bborange 10392]

Had a nice lunch at Stiles Switch today.  

[Party_Taco 3890]

Had a nice lunch at Stiles Switch today.  

How was your nap?

[bborange 10392]

1 minute ago, Party_Taco said:

How was your nap?

Just woke up from the coma.  

[DoobieWah 1535]

Where should we send the wreath?

[Deej 77826]

Do we have a colonoscopy fund?

Edited May 4 by Deej

[bborange 10392]

4 minutes ago, Deej said:

Do we have a colonoscopy fund?

Well, I am needing another one around July.  It's been a bit over 5 years since the last one.