Award-winning Pflugerville BBQ spot closing its doors due to high beef prices
Pflugerville BBQ joint to close for good
An award-winning barbecue spot is set to soon close their doors, and they say the rising cost of beef played a part in that decision. FOX 7 Austin's Marco Bitonel has more from Pflugerville.
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas - An award-winning barbecue spot is set to soon close their doors, and they say the rising cost of beef played a part in that decision.
On Sunday, Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue in Pflugerville announced they will be closing at the end of this month.
What they're saying:
"I've grown up with this restaurant, and I've seen it change. I’ve seen the tides of time, in a way," said Braeden Brotherton.
Barbecue has been a part of his life since his father, John Brotherton, first opened the restaurant in April 2017. It quickly became a beloved spot in Pflugerville, recognized as a Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joint in 2021.
In 2024, John Brotherton passed away. Since then, Braeden has stepped up to help run the restaurant, but the costs have been adding up.
"It’s been a long road and several bumps in the road since my dad passed," said Braeden. "We've been struggling financially for a very long time now."
The rising cost of beef is one of the factors behind their struggle. In just the last year alone, Texas beef prices have soared by roughly 15%.
"Beef prices are over $5 a pound on the restaurant side of things, getting close to $6 a pound. With all of the other prep work and trimming that goes into it on our end, it just kind of forces us to raise ours if we're going to make any kind of profit margin," said Braeden.
Brotherton’s Barbecue first made it public that they were on the brink of closing in January. In a Facebook post, they would ask for the community’s help and would be met with an overwhelming amount of support from customers coming through their doors.
They had a similar scare in the spring, where they again asked for help from the public.
"I think it kind of became a kind of like a Boy Who Cried Wolf situation, you know? You can only say, ‘Hey, we need help. We're about to close so many times.’" says Braeden. "Clearly, something's wrong. There's a lot of underlying issues here that just we financially cannot address."
Brotherton’s Barbecue would try to raise their prices in hopes of staying afloat, but it would reach a point where they didn’t want the customers to bear the weight.
"There's only so far we can go before that starts turning people away too. I don't feel good about the way that we have to do things like that if we're going to stay open," said Braeden.
On Aug 2, the restaurant made the announcement they were closing. Though it wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, Brotherton’s will never forget the people that were behind them every step of the way.
"It really, really does mean the world to know how important and how loved we are. We've made a lot of friends in Pflugerville, and I'm glad that we've got to do what we've got to do," says Braeden.
Brotherton’s also noted that the parking situation at the restaurant has been problematic as well, as they share a small lot with several other businesses and food trucks, which they say has made it difficult for customers to find parking.
Local perspective:
For some in Pflugerville, it’s been an emotional goodbye.
"The love, the energy when you come in and you feel like you are welcome and the food is worth the money you pay for," said Ashley Griggs, as she fought off tears.
She comes to the restaurant at least once a week and worked at Brotherton’s Barbecue when it first opened in 2017.
"John was really into the community, like he tried to help out everybody. When things are tough, the community will come around and help and you know, support the business," said Griggs. "Seeing how much it's grown and flourished and all the faces and everything, it's heartbreaking."
That love from the community was on full display on Wednesday. Minutes after opening, a line stretched through the building. In just two hours, the restaurant would be completely sold out.
"It's always going to be in my heart, my soul, and I'm always going to remember Brotherton’s. Always," said Griggs.
What's next:
Their official last day of service will be Sunday, Aug. 30.
They are inviting everyone to come say hello and grab a bite to eat before they close their doors.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting/interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Marco Bitonel.