In Fort Worth, a 1-year-old BBQ stand draws big crowds: ‘Nobody orders small here.’
In the toughest year in memory for the restaurant business, Derrick and Kesha Walker have pulled off a near-miracle.
Customers line up every day for his “Tex-soul” prime brisket and pork ribs and her sides and desserts at Smoke-A-Holics BBQ, 1417 Evans Ave.
In the year since it opened, Smoke-A-Holics’ business has doubled. That alone is remarkable.
Lunch patrons and delivery drivers know to come early. Smoke-A-Holics’ line never slows down until Smoke-A-Holics runs out of everything, usually midafternoon.
“Nobody orders small here,” said Walker, sharing the busy hospital district take-out lunch business with his friends at nearby Panther City BBQ.
“Nobody just orders a two-meat plate. They order for four or five people.”
Some barbecue restaurateurs are thrilled right now to sell a two-meat plate.
But Smoke-A-Holics’ customers load up.
They want the Nolan Ryan Beef prime brisket, the ribs and rib tips, or Kesha Walker’s sides such as collard greens, Cajun creamed corn or baked beans.
There are variations of baked potatoes, smoked macaroni-and-cheese, nachos or cornbread loaded with brisket, sauce and and appropriate toppings.
“We sell a ton of ribs,” Derrick Walker said.
“The other guys around here say they don’t sell near as many.”
A year ago, some of us wondered whether a barbecue restaurant would make it in an old bakery on Evans Avenue near East Allen Avenue.
The Walkers knew about the improvements on Evans and the steady business from JPS Hospital nearby. They had no doubt.
“This is home,” Derrick Walker said in one of our best and most wide-ranging conversations in 170 episodes of the Eats Beat podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and iTunes, iheart.com or other podcast providers.
“I was born and raised right here. Mom and dad are right down the street. I ran up and down these streets.”
He talks about the old-time barbecue and soul food restaurants he grew up with, like Drake’s or Jimmie’s.
Now, he talks about other good Black-owned restaurants nearby like Jube’s Smokehouse in Stop Six or Madea’s Down Home Cooking in Everman.
He also named off nearby barbecue restaurants: Brix, 218 Bryan Ave.; Panther City, 201 E. Pennsylvania Ave.; and Derek Allan’s, 1116 Eighth Ave.
“Get out early and hit them all,” he said.
After a year, his plans for Smoke-A-Holics include more dining space, a bar, an outside dining area and a bigger pit so he can serve later in the day.
Walker said he has another purchase in mind, but he wouldn’t say more.
Smoke-A-Holics is open for lunch Wednesdays through Saturdays at 1417 Evans Ave.; the phone sometimes rings unanswered at busy hours, but it’s 817-386-5658; smoke-a-holicsbbq.com.
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
