After more than five years in business, Heaven’s Table BBQ owner Jason Alston announced the restaurant’s Oct. 7 closure in an Instagram post. In a phone interview, Alston said he’s closing the restaurant at 5507 W. North Ave. because he needed to make a decison between dedicating time to the restaurant or dedicating more time to his work with the community.
“The need for [outreach] has become overwhelming,” said Alston. “I have a heart to change the environment here.”
Alston works with younger people in the community as a culinary arts instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College and as the founder of the nonprofit Chosen Generation, a curriculum-based program designed for youth outreach. He said he hosts men’s meetings and works at community events, and he wants to do more of those things.
“That was one of the hardest posts I’ve ever had to make,” Alston said about the Instagram post announcing Heaven’s Table’s closure. “Looking back at the start and finish, it was a dream being able to bring my family’s, my grandparents’ and my uncle’s passion and make it into something that started community.”
Aside from the love and support from customers and Heaven’s Table BBQ fans, highlights from the restaurant’s run included catering for many different businesses, including the exciting moment when they were chosen to be one of the vendors stationed in the 2025 NFL Draft food court.
As far as future plans in the restaurant industry go, Alston said he has some ideas tucked away but will revisit them once he finishes his mission in the community.
“Barbeque was something I grew up eating all the time, being able to share my journey,” said Alston. “My story being a kid who got in trouble early in life and found his niche in cooking… just being able to be an example of righting your wrongs and overcoming adversity.”
Heaven’s Table serves such barbecue dishes as slow-smoked, Texas-inspired brisket, St. Louis-style ribs and smoked chicken with sides including macaroni and cheese, dirty rice, greens and cornbread.
In the past Heaven’s Table had a stand at the Crossroads Collective on Milwaukee’s east side. That location closed at the end of 2021, with Alston opening the W. North Ave. location in late December of that year.
Note: This story was updated to add more information.
Dining and Cooking