Opening a new restaurant is a momentous task at any time. But trying to get an eatery opening-day ready amidst a global pandemic with ever-changing government regulations is a whole other level.
But three men with a dream of bringing craft barbecue to North Texas are up to the challenge.
Caleb Jordan opened Jordan Craft BBQ trailer in January 2019 and quickly gained hundreds of dedicated customers.
The food trailer offered lunch and dinner for just a few hours a day three days a week. Still, 50 to 100 people would line up patiently to get a taste of some of the best food in town.
Teaming up with co-owners Hayden Price, vice president of operations, and Russell Prickett, executive chef, the trio decided to try their hand at a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Jordan was born and raised in Holliday and always had a passion for competition barbecue. He spent five years traveling across the country learning and experimenting with different techniques and flavor profiles.
After winning more than 200 awards for his cooking, Jordan took a leap of faith and opened the Jordan Craft BBQ -The Trailer in 2019. The trailer, which regularly parked at Southwest Parkway and Barnett, was a huge success with customers lining up before it even opened each day.
Price was born and raised in Whitehouse. He is a Navy veteran and worked in oil and gas in Midland before coming back to the Wichita Falls area and pursuing his passion for food.
Price and his family met the Jordan family in 2019. They said together with the Prickett family, they are the "dream team" to create a restaurant experience like nothing else in Wichita Falls.
Russell Prickett is a Wichita Falls native who trained in the culinary arts in New York and worked in a fine-dining restaurant for six years before returning to Texas.
The vision for the restaurant started when the three families, which include a total of seven children, tried to have brunch at a local restaurant. Kids were running around, fighting, screaming or bored. The group decided the Wichita Falls area needed a place where families could have good food and the kids can have a place to play.
"Wichita has always needed something like this and with the following that Caleb had in competition barbecue, and Russell CIA-trained in New York, had a restaurant up there, we knew something special could be put together as far as a menu that is this diverse," Price said Thursday as the team prepped for another soft opening night.
More than just barbecue
More than just barbecue staples like ribs, pulled pork and brisket, Price said they are aiming for a BBQ/Tex-Mex menu with dishes like “Uber Ride to Mexico” (elote, choice of meat, verde and pico) and tamales made on machine that is one of only 20 machines like it in the United States.
“We’re bringing a mix of Fort Worth and Austin to North Texas,” Price said.
While craft barbecue has taken off in South Texas, it is only just now making its way to the North Texas area, the co-owner said.
All the food trailer favorites are on the new menu including the popular Handheld Burrito (brisket, pork, beans, pico, Voodoo chips, verde and nacho cheese).
Family, fun and food
One of the main goals, Price said, was to create a place where both children and adults (and dogs in the outdoor-dining area) can enjoy food and fun.
Along with indoor dining, the spot has a large fenced-in outdoor seating area including a stage for concerts and a brightly colored wooden playground.
Games for adults and children include cornhole boards, washers, a jumbo Jenga and more.
The building and stage were already on the property, just outside of Wichita Falls city limits, but months of construction added fencing, interior improvements, the playground and parking lot improvements.
Excitement piqued for the grand opening as the restaurateurs provided frequent social-media updates and videos about the construction.
Unexpected delays, from the coronavirus pandemic and other reasons pushed the opening back to the Fourth of July weekend.
For the grand opening and concert featuring Cody Hibbard and Zack Crow, the restaurant asked that people reserve free tickets online. Just eight-and-a-half hours after the tickets were opened, 400 tickets were reserved for the event.
County, city leaders approve planned event
Excitement for the event turned to anxiety, however, as new regulations came down from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott June 23, restricting outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people, unless the event is pre-approved by either the county judge or city mayor.
Price said they quickly went to work drawing up a plan for social distancing, limited seating, sanitizing and hand-washing stations and employees wearing masks. Special QR codes will be placed on each table. Customers can scan the code and pull up the menu on their phone if they do not want to touch a physical menu.
According to Wichita County Judge Woody Gossom, Jordan Craft BBQ is the only event organizer so far to submit an approved plan for hosting a large outdoor event this Fourth of July weekend.
Price said said county and city leaders have been great to work with and he felt humbled by their confidence in the restaurant owners’ plan to host the opening safely.
Indoor dining is capped at 50 percent capacity, outdoor seating is appropriately spaced, and customers are encouraged to stay with their group and not mingle.
At least 10 portable restrooms will be brought on site for the opening day, the playground will be shut down every 30 minutes and sanitized.
Mandated masks
Another blow to the restaurant’s plan came Thursday afternoon when Gov. Greg Abbott gave out an order mandating face masks for anyone in public in counties with more than 20 cases of COVID-19. Wichita County has had nearly 400 cases with just under 300 cases active.
The governor’s order also gave city and county leaders the discretion to limit outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people.
Gossom said Thursday afternoon that he just heard the order and was processing the information.
The county judge will decide what outdoor occupancy will be allowed for the restaurant’s grand opening.
While Jordan Craft BBQ’s opening may look different than the owners thought it would, one thing is certain - the restaurant will open and it brings a family-friendly dining experience unlike any place in town.
“At the end of the day, we’re here,” Price said.
Find out more about Jordan Craft BBQ at their Facebook page: https://ift.tt/3gjtJQ3.
The restaurant will open Saturday and they will be open every day except Tuesdays.
They are located at 7503 Seymour Highway (across the street from Double D’s Liquor). Their phone number is 940-264-4227.
Claire Kowalick, a senior journalist for the Times Record News, covers local government, military and MSU Texas. If you have a news tip, contact Claire at ckowalick@gannett.com.
Twitter: @KowalickNews
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July 03, 2020 at 05:49AM
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Owners adapt to changing COVID restrictions as Jordan Craft BBQ plans grand opening Saturday - Times Record News
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