Barbecue pop-ups go underground
This is the third column in a series about new trends in Texas barbecue.
It’s never been easier — or harder — to open a barbecue joint in Houston.
Changes in technology, economics and consumer tastes have combined to allow anyone with dreams of barbecue stardom to set up a table, a tent and a sign to start selling their wares. These temporary “pop-up” restaurants allow future pitmasters to gauge public interest in their barbecue with little or no up-front investment.
Aspiring pitmasters will partner with the growing number of craft breweries in Houston to serve barbecue to patrons on weekends. It’s a win-win: Breweries quench the thirst of patrons with craft beer, and barbecue purveyors provide brisket, ribs and sausage to hungry beer drinkers.
Barbecue pop-ups are as old as the city itself. One of the earliest mentions of barbecue in Houston refers to a “barbecue stand” at 1115 Franklin — then a vacant lot — in the 1902 city directory.
Pop-ups have been turbocharged in recent years by two technological developments: the growth of social media and the introduction of easy-to-use online ordering systems.
Social media benefits those pitmasters with an eye for photography and video. The process goes something like this.
A pitmaster cooks barbecue for friends and family in his or her backyard, taking pictures and video along the way and posting those to a social-media account. They gain a following and decide to take catering orders. Interest builds, and they eventually open a weekend pop-up at a brewery or bar.
In pre-pandemic times, these pop-ups would be first come, first served. The pitmaster would be at the location all day, taking and fulfilling orders on demand as patrons stepped up to the table.
COVID-19 changed this. Instead of patrons eating and drinking on site, pop-ups became to-go only. To avoid having customers stand around in
groups waiting for an order, barbecue was pre-ordered online, usually sometime the week before, and a time slot was provided for the customer to pick up the order without waiting.
For some pop-ups, this preorder system has become the default way to sell their wares. Because customers must monitor social media or be on an email or text list to find out
when pre-orders go on sale, this system has become known as an “underground” pop-up, referring to a sense of secrecy and exclusivity that the pre-ordering process confers on the business.
In addition to barbecue, Houston has recently seen “underground” pop-ups for both pizza and ice cream.
This pre-ordering system offers a significant economic benefit for pitmasters. Because the food is ordered and paid for in advance, they know exactly how much to cook and serve.
This is a big improvement to a first-come, first-served scenario in which a pitmaster would estimate how much to cook, show up with the barbecue and hope there were enough customers to sell it all. However, unexpected weather that could deter customers from attending would leave them with many pounds of unsold barbecue.
This is also a benefit when there are too many customers. For popular pop-ups such as JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ and Khoi Barbecue, pre-orders allow them to sell exactly as much barbecue as they can cook without selling out early and having to turn away disappointed customers.
Fair warning, though: Even if you follow their social-media accounts or get on a mailing list, you have to act fast when preordering is announced. Even online, they often sell out immediately after they start taking orders.