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Buck's Barbeque Co.


ChampKind

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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 by Iconoclast Texan
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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.

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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.  

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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?

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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...

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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!

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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.

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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.
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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.  

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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.

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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.

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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.
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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/

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Acclaimed Buck’s Barbeque in Galveston is Closed

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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.

meats from Buck's Barbeque

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 

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