Buck's Barbeque Co.

[ChampKind 1,314]

Walk-in died and we had spoilage. Can’t open the doors when you have nothing to serve. Its been a heck of a day.

[RoundRobin 828]

Sorry to hear that. Hope you get things back on track soon. 

[GHOSTUSER 361]

Sorry to hear that you're closing Buck's for good ChampKind. I recommended your restaurant to a colleague and he enjoyed it immensely. Hope you bounce back on your feet quickly and we can enjoy your food again soon.

Edited January 14, 2020 by Iconoclast Texan

[Jerry Callo 8,952]

Sorry to hear, Champ.

[Lat22 4,070]

That’s rough. Running a small business ain’t easy. Probably exponentially difficult in a seasonal town.

[Brisketexan 106,615]

Very sorry to hear it, man. It’s a tough business, and I admire you for giving it a go.

[ChampKind 1,314]

Thanks for the comments. This was a very difficult decision to make, we felt strongly that we were on the cusp of blowing up over the busy season. A belief that was shared by many other operators on the island.

But it takes cash to run a restaurant and when your revenues can’t sustain operations, what do you do?

I’d like to thank everyone who encouraged and supported us. There are guys on this board with skin in this game. And it kills me that we can’t make them whole. I gave it everything I had, and came up short.

[relapse98 634]

Fark, that sucks. I was looking forward to eating your food again when my daughter toured TAMUG in a month or so.

[Anastasis 23,699]

Sorry to hear that champ. 

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Damn. Sorry to hear that Champ. I blame Pukas.

[GreenspointTexas 9,933]

Fuuuuuckkkkk. Come back to the Heights man. Take over Cactus Cove when that goes under?

[baboso 6,101]

Sorry, Champ.

[pepper brooks 580]

wait a minute....WTF?  It appears all is well, a walk in dies and it's curtains for good the next day?  I'm so sorry, Champ.  I know you put your heart and soul into this thing.  I'm shocked this is happening with all the positive press, awards, accolades, etc and lack of any edible bbq down there before you moved in.  Keep us updated. If you get to cooking back in town I am there.  

[Liquor and Poker 3,659]

Sucks, man.  If it's any consolation it's big news down there.  Wife's family is from there and it's all they want to talk about.

[Chewbacca 7,827]

Wow, Champ, that sucks.  Seems like you were just about to turn the corner.  

[ChickenSandwich 9,918]

55 minutes ago, pepper brooks said:

wait a minute....WTF?  It appears all is well, a walk in dies and it's curtains for good the next day?  I'm so sorry, Champ.  I know you put your heart and soul into this thing.  I'm shocked this is happening with all the positive press, awards, accolades, etc and lack of any edible bbq down there before you moved in.  Keep us updated. If you get to cooking back in town I am there.  

This....Champ closed for repair and restock?

[Iceman 2,956]

Mad respect for the way you roll, and especially your willingness to put it all on the line in pursuit of your dreams.  I wish you the best going forward and hope for the people who know how good you are at what you do; that you might find the opportunity to share your culinary talents with us again. Cannot imagine how it feels on your side of the smoke; just keep your chin up and be who you are.  Good luck and God bless...

[utee94 16,065]

Shit, closing for good?  That sucks, I'm so sorry Champ.

The restaurant business is tough.  My family ran our BBQ restaurant for almost a decade and there were some lean times indeed.  Times when the only food on the table for months at a time, were leftovers and expired stuff from the restaurant.  

You make great BBQ, I hope you are able to find a situation where you get to keep doing that-- if that's what you want.  Good luck!

[Anastasis 23,699]

Time to monetize a bbq blog or some shit.  Might help if you had a good set of tits, but I would probably read it anyways if you imported the talent. 

[tx 3 putt 78,465]

Horrible news. Hang in there Champ and Mrs Champ 

[Zepol87 9,308]

Sorry Champ. Your make some badass cue and hosts a bunch of Dallas degenerates more than once. Wishing the best for what’s next 

[Incredulity 11,859]

Jesus.  That’s brutal.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,984]

Damn.  

[RPM 26,559]

Wait, you're closing permanently? 

[huge 3,824]

Motherfucker

[Smax 3,800]

damn, enjoyed your Q at luckys and on the island, restaurant biz is tough

[Neonmoon 38,130]

God dammit 

[Both Tacos 1,827]

Well shit, terrible news. Restaurant biz is tough and you need some very good capital to keep things going for the first 3-5 years. After that is typically when the business becomes profitable.
Let us know where you land throwing around your meat.

[Mez2 4,041]

Man, this is a fuck

[Tonesky 1,042]

Came hereto say FUCK without doing so on your public FB page. Sorry, Champ.  Good luck with whatever is next. 

Edited January 15, 2020 by Tonesky

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,279]

@ChampKind, this is terrible news! Positive thoughts your way. I didn't get down to the island before I moved, but I was looking forward to a visit once our facility is up and running in Galveston.

 

 

[TXSooner518 2,455]

Nooooooooo. So sorry man.

[Seasick Sailor 3,747]

this sucks. Please let us know what's next. 

[NoName 17,105]

T&P's your way @ChampKind, can't imagine how difficult of a decision this was

[Cajun 11,771]

This is a punch in the goddamn nuts.

I used to entertain thoughts of opening a food establishment and then I see absolute studs hitting brick walls like in this instance and I jettison those thoughts.

The business end of it takes balls as big as church bells.

I hope you keep at it Champ, even if it's in some other capacity.

[HouTex 1,912]

This is a punch in the goddamn nuts.
I used to entertain thoughts of opening a food establishment and then I see absolute studs hitting brick walls like in this instance and I jettison those thoughts.
The business end of it takes balls as big as church bells.
I hope you keep at it Champ, even if it's in some other capacity.

This. By all accounts he put out a great product, was getting critical acclaim, and it still didn’t work out. I hate to say it, but people shouldn’t invest in a restaurant unless they assume the investment is a gift. Any return of principal, much less any profit, is upside.

[Cajun 11,771]

Absolute crapshoot.

[DoobieWah 1,528]

Terrible this news is.

Best wishes on whatever comes next.

[Heisenberg 162]

I've enjoyed Buck's BBQ at 4 different locations over the years and look forward to enjoying it again when the stars align again.

[Storm the Field 5,359]

Damn man. Terrible to hear. Wife and I were just talking about taking the Galveston ferry next time we're heading to Bolivar and stopping by to pig out. If there's any bright side, maybe you'll be serving those delicious ribs in Houston again in the future????

[Trey3216 15,450]

Sorry to hear Champ.  I've been down that road before too, and it's an asswhipping.  Keep your chin up, and never quit following your dreams.  Maybe I'll hit powerball tonight and I'll slide you the money to re-open, no recourse.  One BBQ man to another.  

[C-Man 27,684]

This news totally sucks. Sorry to hear about this, Champ.

[Landomatic 3,813]

9 hours ago, Cajun said:

The business end of it takes balls as big as church bells actual business sense.

Fixed.  I have two pretty successful friends in the restaurant biz and both speak ad nauseam about this.  Lots of people can cook great food.  Very few can combine that with running an actual business.

Anyway, sorry to hear it, Champ.  Hope the silver lining is that you learned a thing or two about the business side of things along the way and can apply it to your future ventures...whatever they may be.

[Cajun 11,771]

Well, I know some people in that endeavor who had good food AND good business sense and still ended up snake eyes.

But you're right, you better not be just good cook.

In fact, there are lots of examples of pretty mediocre food joints ballin' out b/c they've got the business and formula down.

Lookin' at you Salt Lick.

[Landomatic 3,813]

16 minutes ago, Cajun said:

Lookin' at you Salt Lick.

I’ll see your salt lick and raise you a dickey’s.

[DalTxHornFan 3,130]

3 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

I’ll see your salt lick and raise you a dickey’s.

But that free (mellorine) cone!

[Cajun 11,771]

7 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

I’ll see your salt lick and raise you a dickey’s.

Well, fuck, now I know how ou felt after the Peach Bowl.

[ChampKind 1,314]

Fixed.  I have two pretty successful friends in the restaurant biz and both speak ad nauseam about this.  Lots of people can cook great food.  Very few can combine that with running an actual business.
Anyway, sorry to hear it, Champ.  Hope the silver lining is that you learned a thing or two about the business side of things along the way and can apply it to your future ventures...whatever they may be.

Yes. What I learned is not to try to open a restaurant in a seasonal market without lots of cash at your disposal.

Thanks for the advice.

[Wally Fairway 5,664]

I was shocked when I read this article; and hoped somehow it was just a bad job reporting about being closed for the spoilage from the broken refrigerator.

https://houstonfoodfinder.com/news/acclaimed-bucks-barbeque-in-galveston-is-closed/

Quote

Acclaimed Buck’s Barbeque in Galveston is Closed

Jim Buchanan of Buck's Barbeque. Photo by Phaedra Cook.

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POSTED: JANUARY 14, 2020 AT 3:07 PM   /   BY PHAEDRA COOK   /   COMMENTS (0)

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Pitmaster and owner Jim Buchanan announced today that he is closing Buck’s, one of the few Texas-style barbecue restaurants in Galveston. It was a mere eight months ago when Buchanan took over the former Farley Girls Cafe at 801 Postoffice Street. While that’s short-lived and restaurants come and go, this particular closing is particularly tragic.

Buck’s simply didn’t have a great deal of time to build up its reputation, clientele and acclaim — but all of that was growing. Also, the first few months represented a transition between the Farley Girls and Buck’s menus.

A sumptuous tray of meats at Buck’s Barbeque. Photo by Scott Sandlin.

The latest nod was Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn citing Buck’s brisket grilled cheese sandwich, slathered in butter and made with pimiento cheese, as one of the best barbecue bites of 2019. For Houston Food Finder, writer Carlos Brandon named Buck’s as one of the best places in the area for creative barbecue dishes. In addition to the aforementioned sandwich, Brandon also mentioned Brisket & Blue Cheese Flatbread, Pork Belly Nuggets and the Brisket Debris Po’ Boy as other off-the-beaten path barbecue creations.

The closing announcement posted on Facebook pretty much says it all:

Traditionally, business is slow for beach towns like Galveston during the winter due to lack of tourists, but it sounds like Buck’s was too young of a business and too undercapitalized to weather this period. For small business owners such as Buchanan, and with the restaurant industry being fairly risky, it’s a common problem.

Previously, Buchanan worked with owner Wesley Jurena of Pappa Charlie’s Barbeque, which moved from EaDo to Cypress. Originally, Buchanan was supposed to have established a permanent presence at Lucky’s Pub in the Heights — and then the weekend he was supposed to open, Hurricane Harvey hit and totally flooded the place. After sustaining Buck’s via pop-ups at various places, Buchanan set up shop at Lucky’s Lodge practically across the street from where Pappa Charlie’s had just moved away from. It was from there that Buck’s made the move to Galveston.

Buchanan says that he and his wife, Colleen, are uncertain about what their plans are for the future.

Now Ihazasad

Last time I was in Houston, I only had 1 day to get out for some Q and unfortunately it was a Monday when you were a Lucky's and it was closed.
I hope to see you at your next stop - good luck on your future endeavor, wherever that takes you 

[Errestaurants 2,570]

From one restaurant guy to another, sorry to hear Champ. I've darken the door on two of your places multiple times and felt each time you ran a solid operation.