Franklin Barbecue(Austin)-would you wait in line for five hours?

[silenus]

@Dendarii_Dame

Reading about the line-waiting entrepreneurs makes me think there’s an editorial cartoon about the “trickle-down” theory of wealth using barbecue sauce about to happen.

Sauce? Sauce??

Heretic.

[Folacin]

@Smapti

Their business model is inefficient if the lines are that long. Whatever publicity they’re gaining is nullified by the number of people who are going to walk away rather than wait that long for a sandwich.

At the very least, they should be capitalizing on this demand by expanding the kitchen and/or service staff so that they can cut the line from five hours down to an hour or less. At the most, it’s time to start aggressively franchising the brand concept, like Five Guys, Shake Shack, and Jimmy John’s have done to great success in the past decade.

If they’ve got a 5 hour line, then they have maximized their output for their current capacity. There is never going to be a moment when a cashier isn’t taking orders or money, or when the kitchen staff isn’t prepping an order.

They could try and expand capacity, but the BBQ pros would probably say that isn’t as easy as it sounds (I’m going to guess the limiting factor is how much meat they can smoke per day).

And of course franchising is another kettle of fish entirely.

[Bill_Door]

I’ve waited 36 hours for barbecue, but I put the rub on and wrap it and leave it in the refrigerator overnight, then I let it warm to room temperature and smoke it for 12 to 16 hours, then it’s got to be wrapped in foil and rest for a couple of hours, so you can see that can run into time.

[Anaamika]

People are fucking crazy. There is no BBQ anywhere, nor any food, that is good enough to wait in line for five hours for. I don’t even like to wait more than 20 minutes for my food.

[OneCentStamp]

If you wait five hours for BBQ in Texas, you’re a sucker. I’m sorry. There’s way, way too much excellent BBQ to be had.

[joyfool]

I would venture a guess that people really aren’t waiting five hours just for the BBQ. Instead, it’s like tailgating. Why would anyone go to a sports venue an extra however many hours just to hang out in the parking lot? It’s because of the experience. Same thing here. The BBQ is really, really good, there’s some mystique and prestige involved; hell, it might even be a right of passage, and it supposedly brings bragging rights to those who bring visitors there. Then they get to go home and regale others about their story of hanging out in line, chatting with strangers in Stetsons and having a grand, old time. I might simply do it (as a lark on vacation, say) because it sounds kind of fun. It would depend on how much time I had to spare.

[astorian]

I live in Austin, I love good barbecue, and I have friends who swear the Franklin BBQ food is every bit as good as advertised… but I’ve never been there and have no desire to wait hours in line for lunch.

[Cheesesteak]

@Smapti

At the very least, they should be capitalizing on this demand by expanding the kitchen and/or service staff so that they can cut the line from five hours down to an hour or less.

He’s increased output 7 fold since he opened there, 300lbs/day to 2000lbs/day of meat.

Maybe he could capitalize on it, or maybe after he moves to his new giant sized location, the demand doesn’t get any bigger and he’s now struggling to make ends meet when selling a full ton of BBQ per day.

It does seem more like a tailgating crowd, hanging out, drinking coffee reading the paper. I’ve been less productive than that on a Sunday morning.

[lieu]

Yeah, I’d love to try it sometime but 5 hours is just too high a price. I follow his recipe when I smoke and imagine I’m producing a fairly reasonable facsimile.

@samclem

But the point of this is about an NPR story detailing the entrepreneurs who cater to the people in line.

Outside Franklin’s it’s all about the Benjamins.

[scabpicker]

@Bill_Door

I’ve waited 36 hours for barbecue, but I put the rub on and wrap it and leave it in the refrigerator overnight, then I let it warm to room temperature and smoke it for 12 to 16 hours, then it’s got to be wrapped in foil and rest for a couple of hours, so you can see that can run into time.

Yeah, I’ve happily waited 1.5 hours for Heim’s and for Pecan Lodge, because it beats the wait to get the same quality brisket at home. Plus, Heim’s does bacon burnt ends. I’ve had the burnt ends once (they’re usually out by the time I’m being served), totally worth the wait.

Even then, 5 hours seems like a bit much.

[hogarth]

I wouldn’t wait 5 hours for barbecue and likewise I wouldn’t wait 2 hours for a small cheesecake.

[HelenGawn]

Another Austinite here. Not for an orgasm in every bite. And the “fun time hanging out with the crowd” is my idea of hell.

[BrassyPhrase]

No, I would not. There are so many great barbeque places in Texas. Even my family in Austin is not interested. I might do it as a tourist thing, but hell…I practically live there.

There was some show I watched while visiting my folks in Austin where Franklin was on and he was the most pretentious hipster I’ve seen. Every urge to go there died.

[Gatopescado]

No. I’d go get some fine Mexican food.

[Frank]

I won’t wait one hour for any restaurant. I’m hungry. If you can’t serve me, I’ll find someplace that can. And I’ll bet that I have a better and more enjoyable meal.

I can’t imagine how pressured for time people feel when eating in a place that has a five hour line. Appetizers before and coffee after must be severely compressed.

[BrassyPhrase]

@Frank

I won’t wait one hour for any restaurant. I’m hungry. If you can’t serve me, I’ll find someplace that can. And I’ll bet that I have a better and more enjoyable meal.

I can’t imagine how pressured for time people feel when eating in a place that has a five hour line. Appetizers before and coffee after must be severely compressed.

Yeahhhh, it’s not like that. You walk thru a line. You get barbeque. You leave. I don’t even think they have tables, but I’m not sure. Looking at the website, they do. I’ve driven by it, but it is not a appetizers/coffee place.

https://franklinbarbecue.com/photos/

(If I was just wooshed, then that’s on me.)

[Penfeather]

I wouldn’t wait 5 hours for the Second Coming.

[Frank]

@BrassyPhrase

Yeahhhh, it’s not like that. You walk thru a line. You get barbeque. You leave. I don’t even think they have tables, but I’m not sure. Looking at the website, they do. I’ve driven by it, but it is not a appetizers/coffee place.

Five hours in line and then I have to drive home to eat? Sheesh. I’m even less enthusiastic than I was.

[Balthisar]

There are a lot of ethnic Mexicans in Texas, so I imagine you could hire a day laborer to wait in line five hours for you, as is common in Mexican culture.

[GovernmentMan]

@kayT

I think Franklin BBQ is doing exactly what the owner wants it to do. I am positive he has no interest in franchising and I think he enjoys working shorter hours than most restauranteurs work; he works until the brisket is gone and most days it doesn’t take very long. But, I guess Smapti has a better idea.

And no, I never waited in line for five hours for BBQ or anything else.

I doubt he’s working any kind of short hours. He’s there at 1 a.m. and works 15 hour days.