While rising costs are pushing some Texas barbecue joints to trim their menus, others are cutting back operations. After 18 years in business, Corpus Christi’s Boardwalk Cafe & BBQ is closing.
Boardwalk Cafe owners Doug and Julie Fenner announced the news in a Facebook post Sunday. The couple said they would be closing the doors of their dining room at 706 NAS Dr. on Friday.
But this isn’t the end for the Fenners’ slow-smoked barbecue. The Boardwalk Cafe food trucks will keep running and serving brisket, pulled pork, chopped beef and sausage plates and sandwiches.
The Fenners didn’t say why Boardwalk Cafe was closing its dining room, but Julie Fenner did provide context someplace else—in the comment section of another struggling barbecue business. Butter’s BBQ in Sinton announced earlier this week that it was removing brisket from the menu due to rising beef costs.
“Unfortunately this is the way that small businesses are going,” Julie wrote. “We also have a barbecue restaurant which we’ve had for 18 years in Corpus, and we are closing our dine-in restaurant after 18 years. Can’t keep up with the prices increasing. Also with the economy the way it is, a lot of people have stopped eating out. We just went with a food truck… Been doing very well with that… It’s tough you have to make those kind of decisions, but the bottom line is you’ve got to be able to make some profit.”
The Boardwalk Cafe’s closure saddened many on social media, including those customers who expressed grief over losing the family-owned dining room.
“What a great loss! My family & I will always be grateful for the wonderful food & hospitality we received anytime we stopped by throughout the years,” one person wrote.
“My husband and I always loved stopping by when we were in the area. We’re so sad, but we hope nothing but the best for y’all,” another person wrote.
Dining and Cooking