Barbecue joints are great ‘places’ to be social
One of the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is that people are spending more time at home. According to sociologists, this is good and bad.
For instance, working from home allows for more time with family, which is a good thing. On the other hand, it’s a bad sign for the commercial real estate industry and the empty office buildings in many downtown areas.
It’s hit-or-miss for restaurants, too, including barbecue joints. Many restaurants have expanded their audience by leaning heavily into curbside, drive-thru and home delivery, which can be a good thing.
But that hasn’t always translated for barbecue, which doesn’t travel as well as other cuisines. Sliced brisket is at its best right off the cutting block.
Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about what community leaders call “places.”
In this terminology, “first place” is our home, “second place” is our workplace and “third place” is anywhere else we make social connections with friends, family and neighbors.
Much of the hand-wringing is about the so-called “death of the third place.” In the days before the COVID, the internet and social media, we were mostly forced to meet face to face at a local dive bar, coffee shop, barbecue joint or shopping mall.
Nowadays, we have our food delivered through Door Dash while we sit on our couch and doom scroll through X and TikTok.
This isn’t always healthy physically or mentally, though it’s a boon for introverts. Still, we all need to get out in the world occasionally. So the race is on to create new “third places.” (Hello, pickleball!)
As is often the case, though, what’s old is new again. My recent visits to barbecue joints around Houston suggest that such places are and have always been “third places,” i.e. community gathering spots.
Ironically, barbecue joints may be particularly well-suited as places to connect due to the oft-criticized need to stand in line to order .
Waiting in line for barbecue can be good or bad. Certainly, if you’re in a hurry, it’s bad. But if you’ve ever spent time traveling the back roads of Texas and visiting classic barbecue joints, you’ve probably spent some time in line waiting to order.
I’ve met and connected with more fellow barbecue fans while standing in line than any other means, even through the long reach of social media.
a recent Saturday before Easter, I visited one of the busiest and most popular barbecue joints in Houston: Triple J’s Smokehouse. The line was out the door, due in part to the fact that people were placing large orders for the holiday.
During the hour-and-a-half wait in line, I was able to obOn serve how Triple J’s is very much a focal point for the local Trinity/Houston Gardens community it serves.
Ironically, it’s not because people were hanging out in the dining room, as Triple J’s is mostly a takeout joint.
No, the action was in the line to order, as well as the parking lot outside. Neighbors greeted other neighbors as they stood in line, catching up on family happenings. Staff members came out and gave hugs to regular patrons. Groups of guests, some heading in to order and others leaving with big sacks of smoked meats, stopped to say hello and catch up.
After placing our order and heading for the covered patio, the outstanding East Texasstyle barbecue here (get the smoked boudin ) almost became a distraction from all the activity happening around us.
It’s a reminder that barbecue joints have always been great “third places” for communities to gather and connect.