Reveille Barbecue Co.’s family operation finds a nice niche in beef ribs
Houston-area barbecue is a crowded field, and it takes luck and creativity to stand out from the pack. Especially among new and smaller barbecue joints, finding a niche or specialty is a way to distinguish themselves in a competitive and noisy restaurant market.
A few examples: Roegels Barbecue Co. became well-known as one of the first Houston barbecue joints to offer pastrami on its menu. Blood Bros. BBQ made a name for itself offering pork ribs coated in a spicy Korean gochujang sauce. Harlem Road Texas BBQ in Richmond makes exquisite smoked lamb chops every Friday.
More recently, Reveille Barbecue Co. in Pinehurst has become known for beef ribs. Like most success stories, this happened through a combination of luck and hard work.
Reveille is a family operation overseen by longtime Magnolia resident Michael Michna. Started in 2018, Reveille recently settled into a small slot in a shopping center on a busy stretch of Texas 249 just north of Tomball. Along with assistant pitmaster Wyatt Norton, Michna is known for producing excellent Central Texasstyle craft barbecue.
Becoming known for beef ribs started with an unexpected social media post. Brian Wilson, a local businessman and influencer with 1.1 million followers on TikTok, made a surprise visit to Reveille in December and sang the praises of the beef rib there. That post received over 1.4 million views.
Michna noted an immediate increase in business after the post. And more importantly, these were customers coming from all over the city, many of whom had never experienced a Central Texas-style beef rib, also known as a “dino rib” due its impressive weight and girth.
“The majority if people I talked to that came in after his first video (said) it was their first time eating a beef rib,” says Michna.
Being exposed to a new audience of customers, many of whom were not previously regular smoked-meat consumers, is a boon for any barbecue joint. Repeat customers are the bread and butter (brisket and pork?) of most small businesses, and especially barbecue.
Wilson has returned to dine at Reveille a few times since. In March, he announced to his followers that he had prepaid for 50 beef ribs they could get for free on a first-come, first-served basis for one weekend. Again, Michna saw an influx of customers, many of whom had never eaten a beef rib or were not otherwise regular barbecue fans.
For now, Michna is offering beef ribs on weekends only, though cooking more than he previously did to account for the greater interest. Beef ribs are a notoriously low-margin menu item, so Michna is counting on those new customers to become repeat customers and order from the broader menu of his great Central Texas-style classics.
For a small barbecue joint, any help with marketing and exposure is welcome.
“The first video was just before Christmas,” says Michna, “And the impact it had on our service was our early Christmas present.”