Effective immediately, Butter’s BBQ, located at 713 E. Sinton St., Sinton, TX 78387, will no longer serve brisket. The restaurant announced the massive menu change in a Facebook post on Sunday, September 20, citing high costs and flagging sales.
“Not a post I’d ever thought I had to make, guys. Unfortunately, moving forward, brisket will no longer be apart of our menu,” the post reads. “We apologize tremendously. We’ve done all we can to combat the constant price hikes, but we can no longer sustain our current business model with brisket eating up over 70% of our total grocery costs.”
Earlier in the day, Butter’s BBQ posted several photos showing a platter piled high with slices of mouthwatering brisket, ribs and sides.
Butter’s BBQ was founded in 2017 by Robert Rodriguez and Andrew Soto at a small shack in Mathis, a tiny Coastal Bend town about 35 miles northwest of Corpus Christi. In late September 2022, Butter’s BBQ moved to a small brick-and-mortar building along Texas 181 on the east side of Sinton. The restaurant is only open Friday through Sunday.
In 2021, Butter’s BBQ landed a coveted spot on Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ list — an achievement it repeated in the magazine’s latest ranking, which was published in May 2025. In both nods, Texas Monthly praised Butter’s BBQ for its signature dish — brisket — which the magazine described as flawless and “superbly smoked.”
But now, the very dish that put Butter’s on the map is placing an insurmountable strain on the restaurant’s bottom line as customers struggle to afford higher dining-out costs.
“With the price hikes, also comes lack of sales, we’re on pace for a record low year, while the costs of groceries has continued to rise,” the restaurant said on Facebook, adding that the decision to pull brisket from the menu “hurts us as much as it does you guys.”
After landing on Texas Monthly’s list again last year, the Corpus Christi Caller Times paid a visit to the popular barbecue joint. In photographs published by the newspaper, brisket costs $34 per pound, a brisket plate costs $21, and a brisket sandwich — without a drink included — costs $19. Photos submitted to Google by diners show that a pound of brisket cost $24 five years ago, while a two-meat plate with brisket went for $16, and a brisket sandwich for $10.
The restaurant also offers other Texas barbecue classics, such as pork ribs, turkey, and a jalapeño-cheddar beef and pork sausage that Texas Monthly said was “among the best we’ve ever had,” along with traditional sides like potato salad and brisket beans. Butter’s BBQ also serves barbacoa on Sundays. The restaurant said it would announce a new menu soon and urged diners to support their local restaurants.
Dining and Cooking