BISHOP, Texas — A small-town family with a big dream has taken pride in giving back to their community, but there was something on the menu they weren’t expecting.
AAA Barbecue is a local business in Bishop that started off as a food truck. This August, they celebrated one year of becoming a restaurant.
“We tried to make it better where people eat in the air condition instead of in their car,” co-owner Abel Garcia said.
Garcia and his family are from Bishop. They grew up in the area and wanted to give their specialties on the grill back to their community. But as business started to slow down, the town of a little over 3,000 slowly seemed to might not be the best fit they thought it would be.
“I figured it’s not so much your location, it’s the product of your food. I always said going to King’s Inn, there’s nothing out there. You know I figured Bishop is the right spot. I thought Bishop was the hub of the area from Kingsville to Driscoll to Alice, these small little communities. If we do have to move it would be because of the population. You have to go where the people are to help try to support your small business,” Garcia said.
Garcia said a lot of their business comes from out of town. Other regular customers like Juan Montoya said they see it too.
“We get people from Corpus Christi, Orange Grove, Alice, Riviera, it’s all word of mouth,” Montoya said.
Since business has been slow, coupled with the rising costs of meats and other kitchen essentials, they’ve had to increase their prices.
“In order to try to survive that’s where we’re at right now. Selling by the pound, half pound, quarter pound,” Garcia said.
If business doesn’t come to them, they might have to go to where the business is. The AAA Barbecue family does not want to leave the community, and neither does the community.
“It’s sad because they got to relocate, maybe pay higher rates somewhere else because we are a small community. I think it’s important to support people in your area. They put in the hard work, extra effort and I think we should all come together to be successful,” Bishop resident Christy Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez also raved about AAA’s dessert options and food, encouraging others to try it out if they can.
“It feels so good to finally have a good place. We have good restaurants, good schools, the whole thing,” Montoya said.
AAA Barbecue is open Tuesday - Friday from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. They also offer catering and will travel if necessary. Their address is 104 E Main St. For more information, call 361-290-4600.
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