HOUSTON – A family-owned barbecue restaurant is working to recover after a thief broke into the business and stole thousands of dollars’ worth of brisket.
Paul Jacob, owner of Jacos BBQ, said he started the business at home with his wife and children before officially opening their storefront in 2021.
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The inspiration came four years earlier from his church, Church of Bethel, after his barbecue gained popularity among members and at catering events.
Since opening its doors, Jacos BBQ has earned high praise on Google reviews and even caught the attention of the Food Network. Last year, while filming “Food Truck Wars” in Houston, crews visited the restaurant, according to Jacob.
Robbery details
The break-in happened just after midnight on April 16 at Jacos BBQ, located at 14151 Hiram Clarke Rd., Suite A.
“We normally close the restaurant around 7 p.m. and put our brisket on the pit overnight for the next day,” Jacob said.
That night, they had placed about eight briskets—worth roughly $1,200—on the pit to slow cook.
The next morning, Jacob noticed the door of his 8-foot gate, which is fenced and lined with barbed wire, had been damaged.
“I didn’t see it until I went to the pit that morning to take the brisket off and noticed the chain had somehow been broken,” he said.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect spending about 20 minutes trying to break the welded steel chain—first with a shovel, then returning with a heavy metal tool.
“He tried to get it open with the shovel we leave out there,” Jacob said. “Then he walked back to the front and returned with what looked like a silver rebar.”
The tool managed to break the welded steel chain. Jacob suspects the thief had help.
“I don’t know how that person got it off because it’s a thick, welded steel chain,” he said. “The way they got in—they took the whole fence off the socket—I know it couldn’t have been a one-man job.”
Surveillance also showed a car parked near the restaurant during the time of the robbery. The suspect was seen putting the raw brisket into what looked like a suitcase, then leaving on a bicycle—with nothing in hand. Jacob believes the car may have been part of the plan.
Thousands lost in revenue
The theft was a major blow to the business, which uses brisket in many of its best-selling items.
“They managed to get the pit open, so we had to use leftover brisket from the previous day just to keep going,” Jacob said.
While the brisket itself cost $1,200, the lost revenue totaled between $4,000 and $5,000.
“If we spend $1,200 on brisket, that means we expect to make upwards of $4,000 to $5,000 in revenue from that over two days,” Jacob explained.
This wasn’t the first time the restaurant has been targeted. A similar incident happened two years ago, prompting Jacob to invest in the 8-foot barbed-wire gate.
After this latest break-in, Jacob called the same welder who had installed the original chains to reinforce the pit with double welding.
“I had to pay someone to come back out and fix the pit because they broke it,” he said. “This time, it’s reinforced even more. You’d need a welding machine or some serious tools to break in now.”
Looking ahead
Jacob plans to press charges and file an insurance claim but says his main focus is on moving forward.
“As of today, we’ve just decided to push through. We had to go out and buy more food because our customers rely on us—we serve at least 100 people a day,” he said.
Despite the setback, Jacos BBQ has remained open and serving customers since the robbery, though operating on a very tight budget.
“For someone to steal brisket like that—it really hurt us,” Jacob said. “We’re trying to make enough today and tomorrow just to buy the amount of food we normally would.”
For small businesses like Jacos BBQ, incidents like this can be devastating. Still, Jacob says he’s grateful for the support of his family, which has helped keep the doors open.
“Oh my God, something like this could easily wipe out a small business,” he said. “I really wanted to quit last week because of the financial burden, but I knew it would break a lot of hearts if I did, so we pushed through.”
Jacob thanked his sister and other family members for stepping in during this difficult time and encouraged the community to support local businesses.
“If you really love Texas barbecue, this is a place you should try at least once in your lifetime,” he said.